Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1884-01-15
wsuiNGTO LETTER.
[From our Regular Correspondent
WAsHINGToN, am. 9, 1851.

The usual NEW L cal . P"i" ~
the White house brought to a close
the dullest holiday season Washing
ton has experienced in many years.
Just why it has been so phenomenally!
dull is not easily explained, bat the
fact remains. 1t is needless again to
describe the New Years receptions
and scenes at the Capital, for they
have been worn threadbare, as topic,
these many years. 1t is the same old
thing over and over again; a rush OF
people to see and be seen; a DISPLAY
of fine toilets; the formal exchange
of compliments, with lot OF iium-
merry thrown in. There is music and
flowers, military epaulets, naval uni
forms, and the gaudy, as well as
strange costumes of the representa-
tiyes Of foreign lands, who come In
court dress to make their salaams
to the American chief magistrate.
After natural curiosity has been graf
fled by witnessing it once, the whole
performance ever after becomes a
bore to all but those who are fond OF
dress parade, or Of mixing with 9TH
cial humbug just because 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.. Randall has already got
his Appropriations Committee at work
and, though his object is said to be
partly to head off Mr.. Morrison and
the WAYS and Means Committee, it is
expected that the appropriation bills
will, as result, be advanced with I'M
precedented rapidity. When the APP
preparations are out of the way Con-
gress 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. ssWhere McGregor
sits is the head Of the table, is an apt
saving 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 service and pre-
eminent attainments Mr.. Cox, if he
desired it, was entitled to the chair
manship of the Committee on For
eign Affairs, yet there is reason to fee
gratifed that the duty Of looking at.
ter the interests of our decaying navy
should have fallen into such capable
hands. Though the Naval Affairs
may nominally be the inferior com
nittee, there is no question that a
the present time it is vastly the more
important one. The herculean tasl
of rebuilding the navy has just beer
begun, and there is nothing to pre-
vent liberal appropriations for tn,
purpose except the fear of the jobbe
~ which seems to have fastened itsel
so firmly upon every Republican ad
ministration. Mr.. Secretary "Bill
Chandler, has taken occasion to ex
press himself highly pleased with The
appointment Of Mr.. Cox, which is til,
strongest reason the latter could hav,
for not wishing to serve. Mr.. Chan
dler is very ELUSIVE on the subject 0
new vessels. He is not shipbuilde
himself, but he happens to be init
mately acquainted with a man who i
MIR. John Roach, whose attorney h
has always been. There is even tall
of an investigation into Mr.. Chan
dler's methods, in order to find on
why Roach got all the contracts award
ed under the appropriations of las
year.
The recent publication Of the HUI
tington-Colton correspondence NJ
only attracts attention to this gres
railway magnate, but it is not likel
to help him much in his interests b'
fore Congress this winter. Mr.. HUI
tington controls altogether more tina
$4,000 miles of railroad and waite
transportation routes, and these emo
nous lines are operated under his d
rection and in his interest. His grei
feat is to take freight from Bostc
and New York by steamer to Galve
ton and thence by railway to Sa
Francisco, beating the transoontinel
tai freight lines by at least week
fourteen days against twenty-ol
days. In few months the compl
ton of his new lines east of the Mi
sissipDi will oiye him control of