Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1884-12-27

TEE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
|Dakota ii the senate-The silver
Question, Etc.
Special Correspondence Of the IsrEH.OonAx.l
WAsHMaToN, D6c. W.-The weeks
work in congress embraces debates in.
the senate on Dakota's fitness for state
hood; speeches on the silver! question;
discussion Of naval appropriations; pass
ing attention to Indian land leases; the
reception Of new bills, and secret SEES.
sions on theSquestion Of considering the
Spanish treaty with open doors. In the
house Of representatives interstate COM;
merce hes been the chief question Of
discussion, and the bill for department
Of agriculture was passed.
Dakota went safely through the. SEN
ate on hersway into the Union. There
were only twenty eight Democratic
senators to dispute her eligibility against
t~hirty.four Republicans to say she was
more than welcome. Senator Van
Wydk long since placed himself on rec
ord in regard to star chamber work on
commercial treaties, and his resolution
to secure public consideration of them
came up in the senate the other day.
That dignifed body WA too loyal to its
traditions to agree to such an innova-
ton at once, and referred the matter to
the committed on foreign affairs. A
number Of protests against the ratifca-
ton of the treaty have been presented
by Senators ingalls,, Conger and Logan.
Many of them are from labor organiza-
tions and tobacco and cigar manufact-
cries.
Senator Beck, in his silver argu-
ment, said silver had never had fair
treatment by any administration. He
reflected upon Senator Sherman's polit.
ical action while secretary of the treas
ury, and also upon the recent statement
Of the comptroller of the currency, that
the silver coinage law was unworthy
of this great nation" The Kentucky
senator thought such lecturing of con-
gress by a man who was once a depart
ment clerk vas u~nwarrantable impu.
dence. Inreply, the senator from Ohio
defended Mr.. Cannon. who it turned
out had never been q government clerk.
II do not care" retorted Senator Beck,
whether he was a clerk or as great a
man as the senator from Ohio, and that
exhausts comparison. I deny the right
of any subordinate official to speak thus
of any act of congress-" Senator Beck
opposed any change of the silver dollar
in what he called the closing hours of
a hostile administration, and Senator
Sherman asserted that if Mr.. Bayard
became secretary of the treasury he
would have to solve the silver question
as the Republicans would have had to
solve it.
1t looks as if the interstate COM
merce bill might be defeated in the
house after having advanced close TO its
passage by . strong majority. A oolored
congressman from North Carolina pro-
posed an amendment requiring railroads
to provide equal accommodations for
persons bearing tickets of equal cost.
This has met with bitter opposition
from the Southern members, who look
upon it as an attempt to enforce negro
equality in railroad travel. The bill has
been encountered with amendments,
and from various rulings bv the speaker
now hangs in q parliamentary tangle. =.
The house passed the bill for a de-
partment Of agriculture, and the last
days of Commissioner Loring's official
life promise TO be his happiest. His
ambition has been to be elevated to the
dignity Of a cabinet position.
ut Is the rank he long has sought,
And mourned because he found 1t nos."
Congressman Brown of Indiana says
it must be conceded that this bill does
two things. It changes the name of the
commissioner of agriculture to that of
secretary of agriculture, and increases
his salary.
The first act Of the present session of
congress to become a law was that pro-
viding for the Washington monument
dedicatory ceremonies. On Thursday it
received the presidents signature. The
congressional commission appointed for
the purpose have agreed upon a pro-
gramme for the occasion. The COM
mission win invite all civil, military and
naval organizations in the United States
to attend the ceremonies, which are to
be held at the base of the monumenton
the 2lst of February, 1885. ,
Applications still pour in for lodgings
from organizations intending to partici-
pate in the inaugural, ceremonies of
President-elect Cleveland. The inau-
guration committee. have also begun
work, having met and appointed sub
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