The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-03-15
Our Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.)


Both Houses Of Congress began
the week actively. The Senate lost
no time in debate before passing the
appropriation bill for the Military Ac-
ademy at West Point, and then pro-
ceeded to discuss and pass the Yellow
stone Park bill and that for the pro-
lection of children in the District of
Columbia, who may be cruelty treated
or neglected. The House took up the
Mexican pension bill and after short
debate voted to place every surviving
soldier of the Mexican war upon the
pension roll at eight dollars a month.
1t next adopted resolution to add
thirteen new employees to the House
force, clerks messengers, folders and
pages. The move encountered oppos-
ltlon from several Members as being
unnecessary and not in the interest of
economy. Discussion on the Naval
appropriation bill was then resumed
and still continues. One speech after
another is made on ''Shall we have
Navy?' every member being limited
to fifteen minutes.
Before the Mexican veteran bill got
through the House it was fercely an
tagonized by Hon. Mr.. Browne of In
diana, on the ground that it was Dem
ocratic scheme to pension survivors of
the Mexican war, who afterwards went
into the rebellion. Turning to that
side of the chamber he said 1T is be-
cause you cannot get your rebel sold
iery pensioned in any other way, and
you know it" His insinuation was
repudiated by representative Towns
bend, Cox, and Hewitt of Alabama.
While advocating the bill Mr.. Stocks
lager said no country was ever bank
rupted by paying liberal pensions to
those who had imperiled their lives in
her service. He dwelt upon the rich
territorial acquisition, greater in area
then the thirteen original States.
which these now needy gray-haired
men had succeeded in adding to this
Republic by following the starry flag
to that foreign land, and said though
we had already taken a thousand
million dollars of gold and silver from
Texas, there was still enough left to
pay pensions for all our wars for
thousand years.
The Senate devoted several hours
of this week to honoring the memory
Of the late Kansas Member, Mr.. Has
kell; the House having discharged
that formality the week before. Sen
ator Dawes, Cockrill, Morrill,, and the
Senators from Kansas, Ingalls, and
Plumb, delivered the tributes. There
is a strong public sentiment against
the funeral Grafton business lis CON
Quoted in Congress, which is especially
Objectionable now with that body
staggering under a load Of work, so
stupendous that members confess that
they cannot get through with more
than a small fraction of it A whole
day i'll each House spent in formal
eulogies over every deceased Congress
man is an understandable waste Of
time, and Representative Poland has
Just introduced new rule that * ex-
ceedingly apropos. 1t provides for
the passage of resolution Of respect,
but relegates the speechmaking to the
pages of the Congressional Record
Speaking of the use of valuable
time; rambling irrelevant talk has
thus far been the bane of the Forty
eight Congress. 1t is now three
months old, and out of the five thous-
and bills presented, only forty two
have passed the House, and only five
bills and nine joint resolutions have
passed both Houses, and become laws.
There are q dozen or more gentlemen
in the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives, any one Of whom is in the
habit of occupying not less than Il day
Oh every important measure brought
before Congress One man states Just
what dozen others haye stated, thus
drowning thought in words. Three
minutes of pointed talk. will in most
cases do more effective work than the
longest speech.
Joaquin Miller has been before the
/ House committee on territories this
week for the purpose of giving his
views on the Mormon problem. The
sect, he represented, as composed of
extremely ignorant people, led by
cranks, and thought all that was nee
essary to bring them back to morali-
tv, was to show them their true con-
dition. He opposed. represive meas
ures and prescribed education as a
panacea for Utah's ills.
Women Sutfragists are now holding
their sixteenth annual convention in
this city at Lincoln Hail. There is a
full attendance of delegates from var
ious states, and at each Of their ses-
sions the hall is filled with members of
the organization and interested spec
tatnrs from this CITY. who hear the oft