The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-07-05
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
The Democratic Convention-Perhaps
Tilden-The Do-Nothing Congress-
Some Food for Reflection, sc.


Some Food for Reflection, &c.
WASHINGTON, D. c., June 30th, 1884.
Messrs. Editors The National Democratic
Convention, which is to meet in Chicago on July
9Th, is drawing so close that every nerve Demo
cratic) seems to be at this time bent towards an
adjournment of Congress in order that the Demo-
cratic members may attend the convention. They
desire and hope that an adjournment may be eff
fected not later than next Saturday, which would
give them three or four days in which to reach
Chicago. But if the Senate was to decide not or
should not be able, on account of the many i'm
portant matters remaining unattended to before
both it and the House, TO adjourn at that time it
would be impossible to effect such an adjournment,
the concurrence of the Senate being necessary
thereto. And it may be said that the Senate,
whose majority is Republican, has not reasonably
the same motive to hasten an adjournment at this
time that the Democratic members of the House
or the Democratic Senators have, many, if not
most all, of whom desire to attend the convention.
The present session of Congress began the first
Monday of last December, and since that time
scarcely one measure of Importance has been
passed through both Houses and become law,
while such important matters as the electoral
count BILL which possibly involves the safety and
peace of our institutions and country at the very
next Presidential election, and others, to say
nothing of the myrads of private bills and claims
~~~~~
on and settled, have received no attention nor
been enacted into laws, as they certainly should
have. Even the appropriation bills, except few
of the less important ones, for running the Gov
eminent the coming fiscal year, which begins to-
morrow, have not yet been passed, although all
appropriations for that purpose expire with to-
day, and both Houses are engaged in patching
up an arrangement to span the chasm, until the
regular appropriation bills can be passed and the
appropriations Hereunder become available, by
passing enactments continuing the appropriations
n6dhngrareats fRasl sssssyuT Jf tie fdhy.sdgHfR
Congress, which is Democratic and was to be q
Cuisines" Congress, have passed away and moth
ing at all, either for the veal or woe-perhaps
better neither than the latter-of the country
complished. Rnt the people, who have to pay the
expenses, which are large, for such lengthy but
futile sessions of Congress- might justly ask the
question whether it is worth while or whether it
pays to elect such representatives to Congress as
constitute that present do-nothing body? Or
whether, if representatives must be elected an i'm
provement could not be made by letting the pres
emit incumbents stay at home and electing better
ones in their places? A letter from the public
printer was read in the Senate to-day, which no
doubt brought to the remembrance of these tardy
legislators sense of their delinquencies, which
was to the effect that the appropriation would ex-
pire with to-day, and unless immediate provision
was made therefor the Congressional Record could
no longer be printed.
Had not Tilden written his letter of declinatiOn
probably none of the Democratic Congressman
would have been so anxious to 60 to Chicago, ex-
cept they delegates to the convention, for the
only work the convention would have to accom-
plish would be to patch up platform composed
of REFORM "usufruct and Tilden's "barl," the last
to be placed underneath for a foundation, and
then name the old man by reclamation to stand
thereon. But since he has "declined"-though
many yet do not believe it or hope the decination
is not irrevocable-and it has become "every mans
fight" ct Chicago, all are anxious to go, hoping
each to promote his favorite's nomination, which
none of them would have thought of while Tilden
was in the field. The N. Y. Sun of to-day con-
tanned very favorable article concerning Hon.
Benz. Butler, and spoke of his strength, but did
not prophesy his nomination. Also Mr.. Randall
has been spoken somewha of in favorable strain
to-day in fact Representative Forney, Of Ala
bama, said he is ''the biggest man in Congress"
and would make an elegant President" 1t is
believed that it is Randall as well as Ben Butler
that is just now engaged in "knocking out" the
Cleveland boom. Mr.. Bayard's friends are forg
ing their candidates way forward without saying
anything against any of the other candidates.
But it would be the sheerest and most useless
speculation to attempt to say who will get the
nomination at Chicago, except the convention
should yet nominate Mr.. Tiden, "dead or alive"
by reclamation, which it is not impossible to be
problem, for he can have the nomination and
''thank you, too" from the whole Democratic
party if he will accept it, notwithstanding his de-
crepitude, alleged paralysis of limbs, &c.
The Republic of last Sunday, published in this
city, says: off fairness and consistency were
among the bright jewels that stud the crown of
the Democratic party, its loudest-voiced organs
would find ample to say about the swift detection
and punishment that follow fraud when it is once
suspected by Republican administration. The
guilty man that escapes owes his good fortune to
Something besides party favoritism. 1t
must not be forgotten that the business OF the
Government is enormous. Compared
-witl,-thr- fruuds pei JeGraLed upon business men
and the public by trusted employees, those perpe-
trated upon the Government by its employees are,
when the amount of money annually expended is
considered, comparatively trifing."
would commend these words to the much agi-
tated editor of the Peoples Voice well as to the
editors of other Democratic journals, who seem to
be going frantic because it has been discovered
that a few thousand dollars have been stolen from
the Government out of the hundreds of millions
that are handled annually by half-dozen en-
ployees of the hundred thousands employed by
the Government, and ask them if they not
true, and whether it is any great matter to hold
up their hands in establishment or holy horror at,
as did the editor of the Voice last week? Did not
Democrats steal when they were in office to
much greater extent, if the records here of their
stealngs are true, and would they not do so again
with the opportunity? would also call the at
tenton of the Mortified editor to the fact that one
of those who did the stealing in the Baltimore
postofice was Democrat, recommended for ap-
pointment by Democratic Congressman, had
been in office only eleven months and began steal
ing when he first went in. Republicans are as
honest as Democrats" ANON.