Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-01-08
WASHINGTON.
Congress Gets Down to Work, But
Slowly.
WEST VIRGINIA APPROPRIATIONS,
Consular and Diplomatic Service Bills
Reported to the
House.
The INDIAN LAND INVESTIGATION.
Spnial % he ReQister.

WASHINGTON, January 7,-Congress Is
getting to work with anything but alacrity.
Its members are still shivering over the
plung einto active business which was pre-
cipitated by the introduction OF Frank His
cocks radical but somewhat embryotic
internal revenue bill. The eastern members
are somewhat indignant over the failure OF
the House to set day for the consideration
of the Lowell bankruptcy bill. 1t is claim
ed, and with good reason that no measure
now before the National Legislature is OF
greater importance to the business world
than this one and that no one section Of the
country can claim to be indifferent to
its passage. The position taken BY
Darwin r. James as representing
the New York Board of Trade, OF which he
is secretary, is of great significance in this
connection. Merchants are never in favor
of an illconsidered bankruptcy bill. They
know all the dangers of such bill bearing
on the subject of contracts the inylolacy OF
which is indisputably equitable as a general
proposition. But the interests Of the cred
itor as we'll as those of the debtor demand
the passage Of some bankruptcy law. One
which is so widely endorsed as that which
Congressman Collins, of Massachusetts,, has
in charge is certainly preferable to any
other which would be necessarily hasty and
incomplete. 1t must be remembered, too,
that Congress is the only resort Of the mer-
camille public so far as a law
of this kind is. concerned. The several
States are forbidden by the Federal Consti-
tuition to pass any law impairing the Obliga-
ton of the contract.
JuStifiable.
The attack made by Congressman War
ner, of the Seventeenth Ohio District on the
Washington claim agents when the pension
bill was before the House is regarded here
as fully justihable. No partisan, no matter
how warm a Republican he may be, can ex
cuse the treatment which MANNED soldiers
have received at the hands of these harpies
who fatten on the bones of patriots. Some
thing ought to be done to check the abuse,
but it is very questionable whether the
Warner amendment is the proper
thing. Apropos of this subject
ex-Congressman J. Hyatt Smith, Of Brook
lyn told me the other day that he came to
Washington to look after case which had
been in the hands Of an agent for two years
and that when he visited the department he
found that the papers had never been fled.
Periodically that agent had been drawing
money from q soldiers widow under the
pretense that the red tape" of the depart
ment was DELAYING a settlement and that
he was pushing the matter as rapidly as
I5v,-:Ll~ Poaily ho Voc L~lJ;-s, A. .1S-,--
in his own Office to make all that could be
made out of the claimant.
Our Rivers.
| had a brief but very interesting talk with
Congressman Wilson, of the Second district,
to-day. He SAYS that there is no bill OF
startling importance to the interest OF the
State az present before Congress, or that Is
likely to come up Immediately. l asked
him about the prospects Of the State IN the
matter of navigation improvements as GOV.
cred in the annual river and harbor bill
which will be reported in comparatively
short time, go, -,
II know very little about that bill, said
Congressman Wilson, except so far as the
Second District is affected. | have made
no fight, except on the MOnOngahela aPPro,;
priation. Last year $4,000 was granted
for the improvement of that river. 1t Was
not entirely sufficient and, in my Judgment
it is needfal this year to appropriate the full
amount asked for by the engineers OF Sl9~
500. believe that the committee was in
elined at first, to give only $4,000, but
with the active assistance of Congressman
Gibson, who is member ofthat committee,
we have succeeded, believe, in carrying
our point, and, as nearly as ! can find out,
there is almost certainty that the amount
will be allowed. The other more important
West Virginia appropriations will be for the
Great KaDawha, the Little kanawha and
the Elk river j. A.