Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-22

IL is not fair to allude to Senator Beck's
speech yesterday as an attack on the admins
tration, as he took pains To refer In terms OF
sympathy and eulogy to the views of the Presi-
dent and the Secretary of the Treasury as
whole. But he joins battle frankly on The
special subject of silver coinage. with respect 10
which he maintains that the administration is
wrong.
From the indications which have made their
appearance during the fOrtnight's session OF
Congress, the silver question will be the only
one on which there will be an open and a
serious split between the administration and
wing of the democrats I'm the capitol The
threatened row over the civil service law seems
TO have been averted; and on other questions,
which might excite discord, there is a DISPOSE
tion among all elements for peace. But the
silver men are implacable. They see in the
proposed suspension of coinage only q wicked
conspiracy by "the gold bugs to somehow
make the rich richer and the poor poorer and
they will not listen to argument or compro-
mise. And as II happens, they have the great
advantage of favoring the existing statutes. Pos
session Is nine points of the law, especially
where the machinery of obstruction is SO per-
feet rs in Congress.
What Washington needs and ought to have
without delay is a new post office aiding, fine
enough in architectural appearance to compare
favorably with the other public buildings here,
always excepting the new pension office large
enough To meet the wants of the government
for at least a couple of decades hence, and SO
situated as to properly accommodate the service
for which 1t is intended, without regard to the
wishes of property holders and spectators i'm
this locality that. SO far as the people of
Washington are concerned, with the admirable
letter delivery and collection system now i'll
force, II matters little what site may be chosen,
80 long as the government is satisfied that the
locality suits its purposes; and elaborate dis
eussion about where il should or should not be
will only have the effect of delaying prevent
ing the construction of the much needed build
ing.
We have heard of the laborer who was so lazy
that when the whistle blew for noon just as he
had raised his pick-axe, he let go his hold and
left 1t hanging in mid-air till the noon recess
was over, In like manner Congress dropped its
work for the holidays yesterday promptly at
the appointed time, though liz the midst of a
call of states for the introduction OF bills. At
the hour OF adjournment the clerk had only got
TO Maine I'm alphabetical order, but L ,00i bills
and joint resolutions had been introduced,
"read twice" AID referred TO committee. Most
of these bills are of no general consequence, but
quite number of them are OF Importance and
will be heard of again.
The Newark children. who were bitten by
have been duly inOculated in Paris by the
famous surgeon, and have now nothing to do
but ride about the gay capital during the holi-
days and have good time. The process of in
oculation was not painful, and one of the boys
compared il to a light mosquito bite. In con-
nectfon with the case, Mr. Pasteur states that
he will give the surgeon in charge of the boys a
supply of the virus to take back with him to
America This will be good news to those who
are SO uDlucky as to- be bitten by suspected
dogs. and who cannot afford a trip TO Paris
Pasteur, 1t seems, has now IL cases under
treatment, victims of dog bites, coming to him
from all over Europe.
fThe descendants of the Pilgrims are celebrat-
Ing the landing on Plymouth Rock In what
their forefathers would have regarded as very
frivolous and heathenish jollity, but, all the
same, the former are having lots of fun. and
in spite OF the foreflthers, they all the bet
ter tor ii. The Puritans We're good stock to-
come from, but they didn't know everything
down I'm the Old Colony; and. upon the whole
the descendants are rather more satisfactory
as acquaintance and neighbOrs than were the
forefathers.