Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-02-09
WASHINGF0N LETTER.
< Move in Favor of the Revival of thd American Mercantile Marine Repeal of the Iron Clad Oath Relief for Lieutenant Greedy,
 Etc, Etc.
cnrr.-nnndencs ef the CIrIzEx.

CorrasuundeLce ct the CITIZEN
 WasurNeroS. Jan. 30.-COngress is busy at work, as the daily reports from committees prove. though as vet the proceeding. on the floor of both Houses have not reached the highest point of interest. \ large part of the general Iepis!etion that will be considered dur in- the present session has already been | reported, or is n forward staie Tn | clumittee, but the most important bills l have uot vet come in. The Banking and l Currency committee has made no sign; that on Appropriations IS still silent; and the Ways and Means has thus Tar been engaged in attention to private bills. It is expected that the tariff VIII be taken up in about week, and then will come the tug of war. Representa- five Morrison and Hewitt are each marking out the way for tariff bill of his own, and experts are at work for
 both of them. Within the last few days special interest has been directed to
 shipping bills, and ''buslness interests
 involved are earnestly engaged ln
 watching legislation. Nineteen Boards
 of Trade aud Chambers Of Commerce
 have been holding a convention ID the
 city. composed O. delegates representing
 commercial b dies of New York, Phila-
 delphia. Boston, Baltimore, Chicago,
 Cincinnati. Indianapolis, St. Paul, San
 Francisco. and other cities. h the,r
 report urging Congress tO benefit the
 shipplnC interests by legislation,
 the idea embodied is, that though
 the tariff seems tO be the ques-
 tion of the near future Tn
 the thought of the country, the
 most pressing question of the moment,
 and that for which constituencies are
 calling with greatsst emphasis, relates
 to the revival of the American Mercan-
 tile marine. There Is further hIns tO the
 effect, that, should this urgent question
 be dealt with in a broad, radical, judi
 ciOus and effective manner by the pres ent congress, the country will Dc dlS-
 posed to pass a lenient judgment upon
 1t. for whatever else It may Co, or omit to do. The rise and decadeuce Of Amer
 jean shipping is also briefly sketched, and the plans If relief sought are em- bodied in special reports. Two sutago- nlstic influences are at work n this matter: one urging subsidy for the evil under which shipping lebOrs, and the other advocating a free trade policy whereby. merchants can avail themselves of cheap foreign built ships. Between the two extremes are many. who hold conservative posit ous. SO tlrat the com mittee wit not suffer for advice.
 Among decided steps tHsen by the | House of Representatives Curing the week was the repeal of the irOnclad oath of office. An almost unanimous declaration in favor of the forfeiture of unearned land grants was voted. There
 was also an effort made tO prevent lob l bying by the introduction CI biil re- quiring ex-members Of Congress to swear to dIsiuterestedness n the legls- lation pending, before the Speaker shall issue them a pass Co the pEeveleges of the floor. Both Houses passed a bill for the early fitting out Oi a reHef eXpedl- | tion to the Arctic regions, iE 6ehah of | Lieut.. Greeiy's party. Iher3 were dis cussions in the Senate, before the pass age Oi the bill, on the wisdom of the Arctic explorations. as we'll as on the ! limitation of the proposed apprOpria- | tion, in which Senators Frye, Ingalls,, | Hale, Bayard, Salisbury, aad Couger participated Mr. Salisbury thought
 the men for so hazardous voyage should ! not 20 by cOmpulsIOu of the President | but as volunteers. and the bIEl, amended | Co this effect was passed by she Senate, | but oH motion of Mr. Randall, was re- | jected by the House. The amount of
 money 10 be expended was left 10 the
 discretion of the President.
 The sn@stf @ bs bsg9in gi54n sea oT ader si, foI5lT edv | erHnle.t M the Ie-rlt " of Alaska; has | given the American "gruntey' still fur ! ther attention. and has voted in favor of l a resolution offered by Senator Butler, | of South Carolina for allowing a clerk | Co each senator who ls not a chairman | of a commit ee ! is proposed that ! senator's clerks be employed only dur | ing the session. a. siX dollars a day, to be pad out of the contingent fund ! This is another easy .y to get rid of riches in the treasury vaults. and the house. It k thought, vIli soon follow the lead Oi the senate, pleading the consti-
 tntiOnal equality gf the two houses. as
 well as the need # clerical assistance,
 to justify the move.
 Frederick Douglass. the noted colored
 orator. who lives in a suburb of Wash lngton, has just married a white woman
 of thls city twenty years younger than himself From the sensation the affair
 has made among the African inhabit
 ants of the district, 1t wOuld seem they consider the event the most important one in the history of the race since the emanclI alton proclamation.