The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-12-13
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

/
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
First Week of Congress-Bills In Prepa-
ration-The New York senatorslip-
President Arthur's Candidacy
tion of the Washington Monument, etc.
WASHINGTON, D. c., December s. 1884.
EDITOR CHIEF:
| The first week of the possible thirteen of
the Congressional session has passed and it
is difficult to find enough proceedings to
base an obituary on. An immense number
of bills have been introduced and bound
less lot of talk INDUCED in, but when that
is said, there is not much to tell. The COM
mittees, however, are hard at work, and
some of them promise to submit bills be-
fore the holidays.
| The House committee Oh post-ofices and
post roads have number of important
bills On their LIST, to which they intend to
ask tho early attention Of Congress. Inciu-
ded among these are the postal telegraph
bill another which regulates the mail con-
tract sgstem more carefully, third which
GHaHkGH bHe GtsEib VI SbhlpAAkaattSA ~ AAstH
roads for carrying The mails, and O fourth
which deals with the letter rate Of portage.
All these ore matters Of importance and
should get hearing. 1t is to be doubted,
however, If the committee Ia wise In putting
the postal telegraph bill at the head Of their
list, as this subject Ia one OF great difficulty
| and sure to excite pretrueted debate.
They would do better to follow the example
of the shipping and public lands committee
and present first to the House those meas
ures on which there will be little or no con-
| troversy.
| The contest over the New York Senator
ship excites much interest here, and the
progress of the fight is eagerly watched.
Hon. Frank Hiscock has left his place in
the House and gone to New York to put
himself in good position for the Senatorial
| lightning to strike him. I saw Hon. Ste
phen French of the Empire State few
days ago when he was in Washington with
| a committee of Republicans to confer with
President Arthur in regard to this contest.
| At first he refused to be interviewed, but
after moment he reconsidered and said,
"I don't mind saying that the President is
willing to accept the Senatorship If it shall
come to him in the right way-as the prac-
tically unanimous offer of the Republicans.
| But he will not enter into any scramble,
and so far as any of his friends steering
him IN the race or making contest, he
will not permit anything of that kind. I
will further say that believe when the Re-
publicans-the members of the Legislature,
mean-come to consider the matter, they
will see that the right and proper thing to
! do is to elect President Arthur. think
that any man who studies the politics of
| New York at present can see that. In my
| opinion, it will become SO apparent in the
interest of the Republican party that the
/ President is the man for the place, that his
election will be practically unanimous. In
that case he will accept. You can say that
much.''
Leaving Mr.. Arthur's personality cut OF
the question, there are many considerations
of public character that make the election
to the Senate of a man who has served IN
presidential Office desirable. No man &C.
quires so extensive and thorough knowl-
edge of public affairs as the President. He
is brought in contact with representative
men from every part of the country, and is
made to understand the merits of every
matter of public concern. Through his
Cabinet he acquaints himself with the es-
sential principles and incidents of our for
eign and domestic policy, and by personal
and confidential intercourse with diploma
lists, politicians and business men of every
type he acquires fund of information ano
familiarity with the detail of government
which prominently qualify him for legisla
tive functions. It has been proposed, or
this account, to admit our ex-Presidents tt
seat in Congress. Such a step might
perhaps, be a too radical departure from
the principles of the government, but it is {
pity to lose the services of men so pecu
liarly fitted for participation in the coun
ellis of the Nation, and for this reason it is {
matter for congratulation when circum
| SCanC6S p0FIQlt tuSiE EStSaaiou AL PubkA
life.
The capstone of the Washington monu
!; ment was set on Saturday at 2 o'clock II
the presence of a small party of invited
guests. Although the obelisk is now com
} pleted, there is much work still to be done
Probably the most important matter re
naming is the design for the base Of tn
monument, which has not been selected yet
Much finishing work on the interior is Il
be done. The memorial stones are being
placed in the interior wall, and those i,
, charge are exercising fine taste in draw
, ing the line between stones to be excluded
} on account of serving as advertisement
of the donors, and those which can properl
/ be used. The American flag now float
from the flagstaff at the apex of the monu
ment, 600 feet above the ground.
hear that number of Naval officers al
} likely to be dispatched to Nicaragua at a
> early day to look over the canal route again
/ Yours truly, ALERT.
3 yitoI Ibos, French farmer residing i
Avoyelles parish, committed suicide b
hanging himself to tree.