St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-10
The Forty-Eighth Congress Fast
Fading Away Without Ac-
cOmplishing Much.
A Short Calculation in Simple Arith-
metic, Showing How Little Can
Be Done This Session.
Blaine Behind the Scenes Playing His Cards
in the New York Senatorial Contest
Against Arthur.
Senator Plumb Would Make the Civil Ser
vice a Sort of school for the Boys
Other Washington Matters.
CONGRESSIONAL HISTORY.


tell what the history of the forty-eighth con-
gress will be. What it has been everybody
knows, and what it is to be almost anybody
can see, if he takes up a calendar and counts
out the number of working days yet remain
ing and then places alongside of them the
list of appropriation bills to be acted on.
After to-day there are fortyfour working
days, providing Saturday is counted as
working day, though congress seldom
sits on that day until near the eud
of the session. Mondays of each week
are always taken up by the introduction OF
bills and motions to suspend the rules, which
are never suspended except for some trivial
matter. So these eight days might as well
be counted off the forty-four, leaving thirty
six. Then Fridays are private bill days, and
there are seven of these, in which nothing of
general Importance is ever accomplished if
the rules are carried out and private bills
considered, so the seven more might cas- well
be counted off, leaving the number twenty
nine. Then there are three cases of contests,
which will probably occupy day apiece or
at least two days for the three, AMI there are
two or three days to be spent in burying de-
parted members, listening to glowing
eulogies upon the lives and character of the
departed. This cuts down the number of
days that can be given to the appropriation
bills to twenty-five, and there are fourteen
appropriation bills to be considered. Now
it is easy to see what will be the future re-
cord of the present congress, and how neatly
it will tally with its past record, and yet the
house calendar is burdensome book of
nearly 100 pages, and the number of bills
upon it is about 1900, while the number
sleeping in committee rooms awaiting &C
ton is about 5000.
PLUMB's CIVIL SERVICE VIEWS.
Senator Plumb comes back from his Holt
day communings with some ideas of his
own about true civil service reform In con-
yersation this evening he expressed vgor-
ously his disgust of the course pursued by
some of the department attaches, who were
ardent followers of the Plumed Knight dur
ing the late campaign, but who now discover
that they have been Democrats at heart all
the time. The senator gives a rather exag-
gerated illustration of this change of tone,
but he vouches for the story to the extent that
he repeats it as he received it from high
official in the treasury department.
A lady clerk recently drew forth and exhib-
tied to those about her a sprig of myrtle,
which she explained she had been cherish
ing in secret for many years. 1t had been
plucked from the grave of 'poor Booth" as
she expressed it, and she was glad she need
not longer conceal her real sentiments. 1t
will be u good thing, Mr. Plumb thinks, If
the Democratic party does drop from the rolls
many who now have places in the depart
ment, Party considerations have made it
impossible for a long time now to weed the
service of the unworthy, hut the incoming
power will not be SO Lampered.
The senator's theory of true civil service Is
to put young men in these places, which any
one Of average ability can fill after a few
days instruction, and let them stay for a
specified time, say eight years, when it should
DC understood that with a months extra pay
they must go forth under an memorable rule
prohibiting them from being kept longer in
this kind Of service. This, Plumb theories,
will be continually giving thousands OF young
men the advantages OF familiarity with the
government service, OF access to legislative
halls, TO the libraries and institutions.
term in the departments at
Washington would mean an educational
training of great value to the young citizen,
but he would, however, have to go out into
the world before his ambition was smothered
and he became a machine. Then, too, the
enforcement Of this rule would relieve Wash
ington Of that intolerabc curse, the poverty
stricken hanger-on, always begging Office
and growing old and sick on deferred hope.
The senator would have some sort Of prelim
mary examination on which to admit
applicants to this class OF service
and he would have young Demo
Gratis and Republicans recognized in
proportion to thr strength of the
political parties in the districts from which
they come. Thus the whole country would
have representation in the service. The de-
partments would cease 10 be asyums, and
Washington would be something else than a
den Of courtiers.
BLATNE's TRUMP CARD.
President Arthur's friends are a good deal
annoyed over the turn the senatorial fight
has taken, not so much that Mr.. Arthur
really cared for the peace. but that it seems a
general belief that the Blaine people helped
70 bring it about. Tine fact is said
strong Arthur man, 'Blaine sees that Arthur
is stronger In his own state and all
over the country than he is, and
that something must be done to keep him in
the back ground, because he viii get the
nomination in 1858, and 1t Is because of this
that these attacks on toe part of Jones and
others Of Blaine's henchmen are being made.
Mr.. Arthur has gained greater IN the estima-
ton Of the people since last June, while
Baiue has lost, and obody knows that bet
ter than Blaine. He is throwing mud
at him from behind every stump and trying
to defeat the treaties which marx Mr.. Ar
thurs foreign policy "a much more vigorous
and brilliant than BIaine's ever vas"
MEXICAN PENSIONS.
There is a great waiIing over the repeated
failures TO get the Mexican pension bill
through. but It comes from the claim agents
to a much greater degree than from the
would-be pensioners themselves. IL is a
singular fact that the pensions signed by
thousands and hundreds Of thousands Of
people, asking the passage OF the Mexican
pension bill, originated in most cases with
the claim agents aud attorneys OF Washing
ton.
''Do you see that Endorsement" said an
Official Of one Of the houses OF congress. /
pointing 10 few words written in peculiar !
hand on the corner Of one Of the thousands /
Of petitions that come in nowadays. That I
Enforcement Is 90 the corner Of nearly every I
one Of these petitions That come here, aud it /
is in the same hands, too, no matter whether /.