Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1884-01-30
Washington Letter.
rFron our Regular Correspondent

January Goth, 1884.
Congress has slown no signs OF To-
dolsnce this week. The amount OF
work done has been eredtable, aud the
character of it unusually important.
Oversbadowing in importance other
matters. was the hostility shown by
the House 10 lapdgrant railroads,
through the almost unanimous adop'
ton of the Holman resolution, which
ia a comprehensive measure TOR re"
,toripe 10 the public domain all those
vast tracts of land donated 10 railroads.
in cases where the roads have not met
the conditions OF the grant. The mar
ioritv yete was overwhelming PSI to
Island may be accepted as The declara'
ton of a fixed policy for the future. 1t
dates the failure of a gigantic scheme TO
plunder the government aud signifies
the restoration Of many millions OF
acres of valuable land to the rightiuI
ownership. Mr.. Holman made this
subject a special study last summer
and The resolution is based on his per-
sonal observations. Another move
ment in The direction of reform, was
blow struck at ex-aiembers OF Congress
who have abused The privileges Vi the
floor for lobbying purposes. Mr.. An
dersun Of Kansas offered resolution
reouirlns ex,members before being adj
nitted 10 The hall floor, 10 obtain from
the sneaker an order which shall be
Issued only by the ex-member declar-
ing lie is not interested ID any corpora
;ion or person having a peeuniary IN
,erest in the defeat or passage Of a
measure before Congress or the com
m,ttees, ard pledging that while the
euse is in session he will not COM
Vmunicate with any person having an
interest in legislation. Violating this
pledee the ex.member will forever be
lie priyed of the privileges of the floor.
At lines the chamber swarms with
ex- members some of whom have not
been IN Congress for years. Others
were members OF the forty seventh
Congress, and nearly all of them are
LOBBYISTS, or attorneys" for this or
that special interest, sugar, whisky.
c lsims. and jobs great and small. Hav-
inc learned the ways Of legislation in
former years, they easily convince
clients of tie value OF their services
on the Aoor, and the impudence Of
this class is appalling. Nothing short
of jron-clad oath will cure this evil, of
which every honest Congressman has
cause 20 complain.
Speaking of an iron-clad oath re
minds me that one Of the first acts OF
the House OF Representatives this week
was 10 repeal tbe iron clad" oath.
A the Confederate record Of man in
no way disQuali6es him for service as a
legislator, it was too absurd to retain
an the statute books two sets Of oaths,
one designed to keep out of Office per-
seus who had engaged 10 rebellion. and
the other framed expressly 10 let them
f. MIR. Cox of New York spoke
leugtbily in favor of the movement as
one in accord with the times; but the
bill would have come with more grece
from the republican eide Of the aisle.
In the working of the amended Sen
ate rules which went into operation for
the frat time Monday, there has been
a little friction. Senators have not
adjusted themselves readily to the new
order. One of The rules is that when
a bill on the calendar has once been
called and passed over it shall not be
called again until the calendar has been
gone through. Certain Senators
among them, Messrs. Logan and Blair,
who we're sponsors for some of the
first called measures, we're not In the
Senate ct the time, and seemed much
thwarted at not being able to give rea-
sons for the faith that prompted them
10 ask the Senate to pass their bills.
Senators revel now in the luxury OF
secluson hitherto not enjoyed. The
floor of the chamber is visited by very
few Of the persons who have heretofore
gained admission as the secretaries OF
Senators. MIR. Edmuds is the draughts-
man oil the stringent rule prohibiting
entrance TO all but bona fide secretar-
les. and it is said, be aimed 1t at per-
sons who, in the guise of newspaper
correspondents used their cards Of adj
mission to engage in lobbying.
The Senate has been considering a