Woodstown register., 1884-01-08
Washington Letter.

') - J"h' fNh' ioo-f'
The usual New Years parade at the
White House brought to close the du L.
est holiday season Washington has expe-
rlenced in many years. Just way it has
been SO phenomenally dull is not easily
explained, but the fact remains. 1t is
needless again to describe the New Years
reception and scenes at the Capital, for
they have been wore threadbore, as topic,
these many years. 1t is same old thing
over and over again a rush If people to
see and be seen a display of fine toilets;
the formal exchange of compliments, with
lot of flummery thrown in. There is
music and flowers, military epaulets, naval
uniforms, and the CANDY, as wei as strange,
costumes of the representatives of foreign
iAnds, who come in court dress to make
their salaams to the American chief mag
istrate. After natural curiosity has been
gratiied by witnessing it once, the whole
performance ever after becom4s bore to
all but those who are fond of dress parade,
or mixing with official humbug just be
cause it is official.
All the signs point to very active work
In Congress from the start, and to an end
of the present session much earlier than
the long session usually closes. Mr.. Ran
dali has already get his Appropriations
Committee at work and though his object
is SAID to be partly to head off Mr.. Morris
on and the Ways and Means Committee,
1t expected that the appropriation bills,
as result, be advanced with urpreeedent.
ed rapidity. When the appropriations are
made, then Congress is generally ready to
adjourn. but still do not think there will
be any adjournment this year until some
definite action on the tariff question has
been taken. "Where McGiegor sits is
the head of the table," 1t Is an apt saying
which exactly fits the placing of Mr.. S. S.
Cox on the list of House committees. So.
while no one doubts that by length of serv-
Ice and preeminent attainments Mr.. Cox,
if he desired it, was entitled to the chair
manship of the Committee on Foreign AT
fairs, yet there is reason to feel grah6ed
that the duty of looking after the Interests
of our decaying navy should have fallen
into such capable hands. Though the Ma
val Affairs may nominally be the inferior
committee, there is no question that t
the present time it is vastly the more
important one. The herculean task of
rebuilding the navy has just been begun,
with nothing TO prevent liberal appropria- |
tions for the purpose except the fear of the
jobbery which seems to have fastened itself
so firmly upon every Republican admins
tration. Secretary Chandler has taken
occasion to express himself highly pleased
with the appointment of Mr.. Cox.
The recent publication of the Hunting
ton-Colton correspondence NOT only at.
tracts attention to this great railway mag
nate. but it is not likely to help much in
his interests before Congress this winter.
Mr.. Huntington controls altogether more
than IL 900 miles of railroad and water
transportation routes, and these enormous
lines are operated under his direction
and in his interest. His great feat is to
take freight from Boston and New York
by steamer to Galveston and thence by
railway to San Francisco, beating the
transcontinental freight lines by at least
week fourteen days against twenty-one
days. In few months the completion of
his new lines east of the Mississippi will
give him control of complete transconti-
mental line of railway, the ocean termlni
being Newport News and San Francisco
Thus he will be the first of our railway
millionaires to realize the dream which
has fascinated SO many of them. Mr..
Huntington spends good deal OF lime
IN Washington, and always stops at Viii
lard's. His habits are simple and he
makes no display. When he wants
to see man he generally sends for him.
His agent here is Mr.. Sheriff., who attends
Carefully to his interests, which are always
before Congress in one way or another.
This year it is necessary to prevent the
revocation of the Texas-Pacifc Land grant. |
which, it is hoped, may in some way be
converted to the use and benefit of the
California Southern Pacific.
PHONo