The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1885-11-28
washington News and Gossip.
From our Special Correspondent.

Mr.. Eugene Higgins, the appointment
clerk of the Treasury department, whose
name has been mentioned in connection
with the House doorkeepership hiss nev-
er thought much of the scheme. He
has, within the past few days, been
called upon by number of Members of
Congress, who have urged him to run
for the position of Sergeant-at-Arms.
He says that he would prefer that place
to the doorkeepership and intends to
see what, if anything,he can do towards
securing the caucus nomination.
Carlisle arrived here this afternoon
with his wife. He was i'll by the rough
riding on the Baltimore and Ohio road
and took to his bed soon after his a:riv-
al, declining to see callers. His illness
is mere nothing as he expects to be
out tomorrow. He will remain here
until Congress meets. He will I'M
doubtedly hurry up the coming of the
members, so that they can talk with
him as to their places upon the COM
mittees. He is so sure of his reelection
as Speaker that he will be able to devote
his leisure until the meeting of Congress
to the making up of his committees.
Much has been published during the
last eight or ten days about the chang
ing of the House rules, and elaborate
arguments have been made in favor of
dividing the work of the House Appro-
priations Committee among the various
committees. Among the strongest and
noisiest advocates of this are the West
ern members, who have for years favored
the Hennepin Canal project. This
scheme for taking great sums out of the
Treasury has been killed every year
through the inability of its advocates to
procure place for it upon any of the
appropriation bills. Nearly every man
who has had job defeated in Congress
is anxious to have the Appropriations
Committee under Mr.. Randalfs econ
omical management broken down. The
House will be called upon to pass upon
this changing of the rules at the very
outset of the session, and it is expected
that at least ten days will be given up
to this discussion. The people who are
advocating the change profess to be
actuated by a desire to improve the
method of doing business in the House.
1t is said that the other executive de-
partments will follow the example of
the Treasury in strictly enforcing rules
as to the time of arrival and departure
of employees, and against reading, smok-
ing and visiting among the clerks dur
ing office hours. In the Treasury, the
system of enforcing the rules is being
perfected gradually, and a complete
system of daily reports of violations of
the rules is being put into effect. More
than dozen clerks have already been re-
ported for violation of the rules to an
extent that is regarded by the Chief
Clerk as justifying their removal. 1t
has not yet been decided what degree of
severity should be exercised.
1t may be safely affirmed that no
President since Jackson-and he an eX-
ception only at particular juncture
and to limited eXtent-has been so
impressively and pervadingly felt in the
departments by the employees generally,
as is President Cleveland. 1t seems to
be the habit of mind here already, when
| fe fpoVa1 hxfa Ganrat TO nf
of the departments, to see the President
standing, with determined counten-
ance, behind the immediate actor. The
trepidation into which the employees of
the Treasury Department were thrown
recently, and are still kept, by their dis
covery that detectives were employed to
note the time of their coming and GO
ing, and by the subsequently promul-
gated order of Secretary Manning, re-
specting hardness, &C., is largely due to
the conviction that it is part of the
Presidents policy in the details of his
administration. The old employees have
known what new orders and new regu-
lations are, with almost every new
fledgling of chief clerk; but while
obeying them at first, they would laugh
among themselves and take comfort
which time would justify-that ii was
only for little while until the new in
cumbent should satisfy himself either
that he had obtained recognition of his
Importance, or had committed blundeI
and come nigh making himself laugh
ing-stOck. Now this is changed.
But now and then the President makes
himself felt without the agency of a
cabinet officer, and in one example just
| 60 ha.. than ha InnHnn
trade is extensively affected by Queen
Victoria's encouragement or discourage
ment of the fashions, her presence in
"town" or absence from it, &c. but
this hardly suggested TO our plain re-
publican President that his order for
bidding callers to broach the business
of Oitice-seeking to him till-this is the
meaning of it--he shall have completed
his message, would heavily handicap
the business of Washington. His order
cut a much wider and deeper cash than
he knew. An intelligent gentleman, and
one in a position TO guage the effect of
this order, asserts that the seasons
business is seriously injured thereby,
and what is recognized here as the re-
sumption of business for the congress
sional season will have a much later
commencement and shorter duration in
consequence.
1t looks now as if Congress is bound
TO have an exceedingly difficult task TO
perform, or attempt, or shirk. The
two old parties, in obedience to the law
of self-preservatiOn, will, whatever mat
ter they may be called upon TO consider,
bear continually in mind the question,
What will be its effect upon our party's
existence and welfare?
This is specially trammeling because
OF the want of well defined differences
OF principles or measures between the
two parties. Not one OF the important
subjects most occupying the attention
of the country at present-namely, the
relation of capital and labor, the tariff,
civil service reform and silver coinage
is made n strict party issue. Each par
ty is claiming 20 be the best friend of
/ the manual laborer and of civil service