The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-02-21
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Horrible Weather-What a Session of
Congress Costs-The Appropriation
Bills-Cabinet Speculations, &c.
WAsHINaroN. d. c.. February 18th,

WASHINGTON, d. c., February 18th, 1885.
Editors Union The weather for more than
week past has been of a notably variable and dis
agreeable kind. On last Sunday and yesterday
week the trees and streets covered with sleet
and ice, which was followed on Tuesday night by
a fall of the thermometer to but few degrees
above zero. This great GOODNESS continued with
but little modification until Saturday morning
At Saturday noon q snow began-so very like the
oldtime SHOWS have seen fall, when was a boy,
in Baltimore county-and continued into the
night. Sunday morning the clouds had passed
away and the shining brightly, but re-
vealed the streets covered with the deepest snow
of the season, which would have rendered church
going almost impracticable had it not been for the
labor Of the numerous white and coored men and
lads who were early at work with shoves and
brooms cleaning the sidewalks, for which they
ceived many nickels, dimes and quarters from the
householders But worse condition OF the
weather still awaited the doomed citizens of this
city. On Sunday afternoon the clouds again
gathered and rainy deluge fell during Sunday
night and yesterday morning, converting the
"beautiful snow" into the most disagreeabe slush,
which rendered it almost impossible for Govern
ment officials and business men to reach their
offices or places of business All who were com
PEELED to 60 out into this miserable wet and slush,
or even those that remained indoors, were wildly
reminded of the night and morning preceding the
Inauguration of President Garfield, on the 4th of
March, 1881. Certainly nothing so disagreeable
in the line of the weather has been experienced
since then. But to-day is again cold and crisp
and is great Improvement on yesterday.
No one who has not noticed the figures has an
idea of the excessive expense to the country OF
session of Congress, which amounts in salary to
Senators and Representatives and other expenses
to several millions of dollars; and no doubt,
should an extra session at this time become neces
sary, the attention of the country will be very
quickly attracted to the great cost of one, and an
inquiry be instituted as to where the fault for it
lies, whether with the House of Representatives,
which is Democratic, or the Senate, which is Re-
publican. 1t is perhaps the thought of this re-
sponsibity that has tho past week stirred the
House up to greater activity and industry in en-
deavoring to get the appropriation bills ready for
passage. On last Saturday afternoon the postofice
bill was passed and yesterday laid before the Sem
ate where it was referred to the Senate committee
on appropriations. Yet there still five other
appropriation bills to be acted upon by the House,
and if it succeeds in getting these out of the way
the present week it will be better work than
hardly be expected of it, Notwithstanding the
great weight of fear of extra session it may be
resting under just at this time. Fridays session
of the House was continued over, by recesses,
til yesterday morning, and Immediately on assem-
bling at 10 o'clock, it pitched into hard work, in
committee of the whole, on the legislative appro-
as "the best laid plans of men and mice aft gang
aglee," it may be impossible to avoid an extra
session, for which the House, of course, would
have to assume the responsibility.
AS the 4th of March approaches the interest
with regard to Mr.. Cleveand's Cabinet becomes
intense and every one is on the qua cice as to who
will constitute it. A dispatch to the Ecening Star
of yesterday from Albany, n. Y, says that there
is the best authority for the statement that all but
two or three of its members have been decided
upon by Mr.. Cleveland, and mentions Mr.. Bayard
for the State Department. who, it says, has decided
to accept that position Mr.. Daniel Manning, of
New York, for Secretary of the Treasury; Senator
Garland, for Attorney General, with likelihood
that Mr.. Villas of Wisconsin, will receive the War
Department, and Senator Lamar the Posto6ice.-
The dispatch says that whether or not Mr. Nc
Donald will enter the Cabinet is uncertain but the
presumption is against his doing so. 1t then says
that there is a confirmed report that Mr.. Allen G.
Thurman would reach Albany on Monday after
noon and would be offered the Interior Depart
ment 1t also states that the Mugwumps will re-
ceve recognition in the Cabinet in the person of
some one belonging to Massachusetts of the mould
of CASTOR or Endicott.
Now, Messrs Editors, desire you to publish
the following certificate from the Agricultural De-
partment When the accusation was first made
in the Voice by a correspondent last fall that l
sent large quantity of seed wheat to 'family
connections" in the 4th district of your county, at
the same time intimating corruption in connection
with the act promptly wrote the editor of that pa
per that was innocent of the charge, but he reus
ed to publish the denial. Now, in connection with
"W. E. G.'s" correspondence, he editoray reter-
ates the charge, with his usual stale and insipid
illusions to "theves, rascals, &c" which mustbe
"turned out" The said editor says there were
"39 bags of farm seed (taken from the Govern
ment) all paid for by the Government"
Yes, this is like the story of the eats the back
fence-if there were not 500 there were "ours and
another one" According to this certificate there
were just eight quarts (sent by Congressman Hob
litzell of the Third district of Maryland,) which
was all that was received by the said "family con-
nections," except two additional quart bags sent
by the Department at my solicitation, without
knowledge of any other being sent. For obvious
reasons I suppress my name at the head of Gen.
Carman's letter:
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
WASHINGTON, D. c., February l6, 1885.
My Dear Sir Il find upon examination of our
books that on the 23d day of August last there
was sent from this Department, at the request of
Hon. F. S. Hoblitzell, one hundred quarts of
wheat, of which eight quarts were sent to Mrs.
Julia A. Duncan, Woodensburgh, Md.
Very respectfully,
(Signed) E. A. CARMAN, Chief Clerk.
ANON.