Daily Republican., 1884-02-19
WsshIngtOn Letter.


From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON February IS, 1884
A spirit of inquiry and criticism pos.
sessed the upper House of Congress this
week. 1t began with debate on tht
Senate patronage, in which the recent
removal Of officers by the majority was
attacked and defended, Senators Vest,
Conger and Riddleberger taking promi
1ent parts. Then there was sharI
controversy in regard TO the use o.
money for political and partisan pur
poses, in which Senators Beck, Hawley
Voorhees,, Dawes and Harrison figured
conspicuously. Sena,or Beck stated
that men had been before Congress
seeking confirmation who had retained
/ 8 or 20 per ct. OF the salaries of Govern
ment employees under them In order to
send delegates to political conventions
Senator Hawley did not doubt the tx
istence of Infamous abuses in Connec
tion with political assessments, hut
thought no citizen of free country
should be prohibited from contr butiDg
voluntarily The next attack was
made upon the Cabinet. Senators
ingalls, and Butler criticised Attorney
General Brewster and Postmaster. Gene
raj Gresham for delay In the execution
of business in the departments, and
Mr.. Brewster was directed to report on
the matter.
The House of Representatives first
listened to telegraphic appeals for re.
lief from the sufferers by the Ohio river
floods, debated the question for day,
and voted an appropriation Of three
hundred thousand dollars for the pur.
pose, in which action the Senate i'm
medistely cOncurred. The Naval ap-
preparation bill then came up, and Mr..
Calkins spoke lengthily on the subject,
taking the ground that the allowance
was altogether insufficient.
The proposition granting fifteen hun
dred dollars for the expenses of a COM
mittee of five members to 90 to the
Arkansas Hot Springs and investigate
the work now being done on the Govern
ment reservation there was re-consid-
cred, and caused considerable debate.
1t has been alleged that the men who
control the hotels havea monopoly of
the springs, and that the waters set
apart for iree baths for the INDECENT
have been greatly mis-used. The bill
was amended 80 that the committee will
consist of three and the amount 10 be
expended be one thousand dollars. The
House also devoted day to the Chal-
mers- Manning contested election case,
without reaching a decision, and the
Senate considered the bill regulating
the circulation of National banks.
Both the Senate and House committees
have reported many bills for action
during the week and there has been no
lack of new measures in both Houses.
The Senate Committee charged with
the investigation of the recent political
murders in Mississippi started South
OH Tuesday morning. Doubtless the
usual crowd of Democratic witnesses
will be pr sented, who will be prepared
to prove that good Democrats labOred
under such fears of horrible negro
insurrection, that they were forced to
call upon the Governor of the State for
arms with which to protect their
homes.
The Democratic National Committee
will find some queer complications
when they come TO decide upon the
place fer holding the national cow en-
tion. The struggles between st. Lou
is, Chicago and Cincinnati. The Nc
Donald Morrison Carlisle wing want
the convention held in Chicago ; Morri-
son thinks that will insure him the
second place on the ticket, and Melon
aid is willing he should have it. The
"pusher of the House has discovered
that the lv'ople of this country are not
moanirI - make him Pres dent, and
he viii II: satisfied with the second
place a the chances that Mcdonald
wi d,c before his term is out.
T Payne party desire that the con-
-, 'on should be held in Cincinnati no
that the Standard oil king should he
upon his native heath, as it were. John
X. Mclean, who IL Paynes chief bugler.
natural y thinks that the city where his
paper is published would be the best in
the world in which to hold a great po.
litical convention. There are number
of the members OF the committee who
are known to favor St. Louis, but they
will meet with stormy, and decided op.
position from all the candidates, and
for a peculiar reason. These candidates
know there will be hot fight, and they
fear that If the convention is held In the
great hall of the chamber of com merce
in St. Louis, where Tilden and Hen
bricks were nominated in '76, the dele
gates finding that it is impossible to
reconcile the claims of really living can
didates will have rush of sentiment
to the head and incontinently nominate
the old ticket over again. s.