The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-07-17
Our Washington Letter.
Special to the Democratic Press:
WAsHINGTON, July IL, 1884.

WASHINGTON, July IL, 1854.
Both the Senate and House of Rep
resentatives remained in session until
after Z o'clock Sunday morning, and
then took recess until 3p. III. The
Senators spent nearly the whole night
in executivei5essiOn, where they could
rest their feet upon desks, smoke, tell
stories, sleep, and kill time in various
other ways, without causing q critical
public to bluster for their failure to
maintain that dignified and sedate de-
meanor for which the open sessions of
the Senate are prOverbial. During the
night, however, they disposed of about
all the long lists Of nominations recent
ly sent in by the President. The ses-
sion, therefore, was not entirely profit
less.
The House spent the larger part of
the night in roll calls on all sorts of
tillibustering motions regarding the
Mexican pension bill. No real husi
ness was done until after o'clock in
the morning. The crowd that filled
the visitors galleries wandered away
at the approach of midnight. They
had been we'll entertained, for the Con-
gressmen had been quite unruIy, and
had thrown the House into confusion
upon the slightest pretext. After mid
night the scene was different. Here
and there drowsy spectator nodded
in the gallery, and here and there Oh
the floor vivaciOus member gave evil
dence to his colleagues that he had
made quite as many trips as was nee
essary TO the restaurant down stairs.
A few Representatives were wide
awake enough to keep the roll calls
going, but the majority were engaged
in catching "cat maps in the least
uncomfortable positions their chairs
would allow them to assume. Some
time after o'clock it was remembered
that the differences between the two
Houses on the Fertilization Appropri
alton bill had been adjusted in confer
ence and settled by the Senate many
hours before. The members were
awakened long enough to permit the
House to agree to the conference report
and thus formally dispose of one more
bill. An hour later the House was
informed that the conference commit
tee on the Sundry Civil Appropriation
bill had at last come to an agreement,
the House cOnferrees having VI, l led
to the Senate amendment striking out
MIR. Springer's proposition to pay u.
=. Marshals salaries instead of fees,
which was the last obstacle to be over
come. Mr.. Springer was unable to
induce the House to refuse to adopt the
report, aud thus one more obstruction
in the way OF final adjournment was
removed. Then the time killing ILL
clustering was resumed. 1t was kept
up until after O'Clock, when, AS it was
evident that no more conference re-
ports would be made until much later
ir0f low ha nv tnfn
cluded to go to bed until 3 O'Clock
The President went to the Capitol
about midnight and remained there
several hours. Mr.. Arthur was occu-
pied in examining bills in the Presi
dents room, and the Cabinet Officers
wandered back and forth between the
Senate and House.
During the afternoon and evening
the halls and corridors of the Capitol
presented a scene in strange contrast
with the peace and solitude which
usually hold sway in them on Sunday.
Many hundreds of visitors roaIned
through the building and filled the
spectators gallery in the House cham.
Der, and i'm the Senate when the doors
were not closed. The Senate spent SO
much of its time in executive session,
however, that the crowd devoted more
Of their attention to the House, where
the galleries were packed.
WORK DONE BY CONGRESS.
A careful examination of the House
aud Senate docket shows that the num-
Der of bills introduced during the pres
ent session is nearly II 1000. OF this
number about 500 passed the House,
and about an equal number passed the
SENATE. No more than $50 of these
have passed both bodies and become
laws. Aside from the appropriation
bills, not more than a dozen bills of
importance have become laws. The
most important of these are the fol-
lowing: Reducing the rates Of postage
on transient newspapers, making pub
lie roads and highways post roads, r, =
pealing the iron clad act, establishing
a bureau of animal industry, directing
the publication for sale of copies of the
tenth census and rebellion record, ap-
prOpriating $3, T5C 900 10 pay the rebate
on the tobacco tax, authorizing the
expenditure of $l5O,O00 for Indian ed
-ueatiOn, authorizing the Secretary of
the Navy to send an expedition to res
cue Lieut. Greeley, and also authOriz-
ing the offer of reward of $25, 900 for
his rescue, making it a felony for any
one to pretend to be an officer or an
employe of the United States, to pre-
vent the counterfeiting within the
United States of notes, bonds or other
securities Of foreign governments,p pro
tecting the fisheries of the Atlantic
coast, extending the duration of the
Court of Alabama Claims, and sus-
pending the operation of the revised
statutes In relation to the Guano Is
lands. OF the i5O bills passed, more
than half are of private nature, for
pension relief, &c.
GEN. GRESHAMS S RETIREMENT.
A gossiper in the Sunday Capital
says: 1T is really settled that Post
IN master-General Gresham goes out of
the cabinet during the coming Au-
tumn, and will succeed Justice Drum
mond,, of the United States Court.
The President is not decided concern
Ing his successor, but it is possible that
Mr.. Hatton may be allowed to run the
! department during the closing months
of the administration, especially if
/ Mr.. Gresham's stay should be prolong-
ed until about the time of the meeting
of Congress i'm December, in order 10
allow him to complete his annual re.
q port. AS Judge Gresham would inev-
4 itahly 20 out next March, 1t 10 not