Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-05-31
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom Our Regular correspondent,

tFrom Our Regular Correspondent i
The policy suggested OF rushing
through appropriation bills and adj
journing right away does not meet
the approval of all the Democratic
members of Congress. Some of
them say the land grant forfeited
bills are the most important meas
ures pending and are unwilling to /
go home until provision is made
for the restoration of these lands to
the public domain. The past few
days of torrid weather made some
members and Senators desire an
early adjournment, but besides sew
eral important appropriation bills
that have yet to be passed, an amic-
able agreement on the Naval bill
must be reached before the session
ends. IF Congress gets away before
the middle of July some hard work
must be done, and so it is quite too
soon to begin packing its trunks.
Besides it may happen that the
Senate will insist upon the House
paying some attention to the bills
it has placed upon the Speakers ia
BILE before adjournment. Statesmen
have donned their new hot weather
togas and many of them handle
palm leaf fans.
The Senate devoted most of the
week to debate on the House bill for
bureau of labor statistics, and fin
ally passed as a substitute Senator
Aldrich's bill. This was treating
the House discourteously. 1t
simply relegates the matter to that
body, when, in the rush and heat of
the closing hours it is likely to be
sighted.
In the regular order of Congress
ional events, Friday was private
bill day in the House. but as things
happened last Friday was person
al explanation day. Representa-
tive Weller was the first explainer.
He arose to deny at length, that he
had been solicited by Mr.. English,
senior. in behalf of his son, who got
the seat for the Seventh Indiana
District in the contested election
case of English vs.. Peele. Mr..
Weller said his absence from the
House at the time of the last call
for the ayes and nays was in pur-
suance of telegram announcing
the arrival of his family in the
city. Representative Hart asked if
he were requested on this floor by
any of Mr.. English's friends to go
and meet his family. Amid APP
plause and laughter Mr.. Weller re-
piled "No Sir" eff you have any
other questions in that line l shall
be most happy to answer them to
your complete satisfaction"
The next explainer was Represen-
tative Kellogg, when the House
was made the scene of an act in the
Star Route Comedy. He demand
ed that the House inquire into the
charges against him, but that body
refused to go into another personal
investigation. Referring to his re-
cent trial, he showed that he had
not pleaded the statue of Limitation,
but was obliged to confess that he
had not exercised his privilege of
waving it. He stated that the law
which prohibits member OF Con-
gress from receiving compensation
for services where the United States
was party ''had been violated a
thousand times" Mr.. Hammond
said it was humilitating confession
for a member of Congress to say
that he knew 500 men who had
represented the people here, and
who had committed felonies, and
yet to admit that he had never
mentioned the fact until it was nee
essary to screen himself.
Representative Springer has en-
tered his protest against the bill for
retiring Gen. Grant, with the rank
and pay of a Gen. of the Army. |
He says under ordinary circumstan-
ces he would be glad to do Gen.
Grant honor, but now is not the
time for the Congress of the United
States to come to his relief. He as-
soc1ated himself in Wall street with
spectators who have ruined his
fortunes and the regulations OF his
partners by the most disreputable
practices that have ever been ex-
posed in the financial transactions
of this country. He thinks the
habit of increasing the pay of men
who are receiving as much as So 300
a year ought to be stopped until the
men in ranks and their widows and
orphans have received their dues at
the hand of the Government.
President Arthur has had a lively
week of hand-shaklng and the
White House has been unusually
busy. The visiting bicyclers came
down upon the Chief Magistrate in
great numbers; many of the strang-
ers who came to the unwilling of the
sLuther statue called to pay their re-
poets, and large delegation of the
bishops and ministers of the Afri-
can M. E. church in conference at
Baltimore came over with their
wives and sisters, cousins and
aunts to shake hands. -.
Washington, May q 1884.