Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-08-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WdshinQton. .Lulu

WASHIN GTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS OF THE MoNIToR.1
Washington, July goth.
Judging from the way in which the
House of Representatives ha, spent
a portion of the week, one would say
that members are not anxious to do
anything important, and are in no
hurry to adjourn. They spent one
whole day in fiIihnstering roll calls,
through an effort to give precedence
to the bill imposing tax of two
cents pound On oleomargarine. The
bill slipped back to the bottom of
the calendar at the end of the strug-
gle, but it had prevented action on
more important measures.
The bill to prevent anybody max
ing OF inventing anything that will
diminish the price of butter, or the
''greasy bill' as it is called, got up
before the House next day again by
some strategem, and was hustled
through as it came from the senate.
1t will now 90 to the president.
Thousands of poor people in all
parts of the country, who for the
first period in their lives are able reg
ularly to anoint their bread, wait with
anxiety to see what Mr.. Cleveland
thinks of it.
The people of Washington are COM
planning that the present congress
has done so little for the District of
Columbia. Washington has no leg
islative body of it's own like other
cities of equal proportion. 1t de-
ponds upon congress for everything ::
for the annual appropriation, for the
salaries of its special servants, or the
levy of an assessment, down to an
imposition of police court penalty.
Congress finds this arrangement
burdensome at times, but so long
as it retains its present absolute con-
troll, the district will clamor for at
tention. Congress is about to ap-
propriate five thousand dollars to gild
the Goddess of Liberty on the dome
of the Capitol, and to provide fol
another new park. This is thought
to be well enough, but the city is full
of pretty parks, while it lacks re.
spectacle post-office building. 1t i:
more practical than Charles Lamb
who was willing to live without tn,
necessities of life if be could hav,
the Injuries. Just at present Wash
ington would forego gilded GOODIES
and new park for post-office.
The fall election promised to max
many changes in the house of repre-
sentatives. There are a few mem
hers who can come back to congress
as long as they wish to, and VIII
avail themselves of the privilege, bu
there will be a general shaking u
among the majority. Many have dc
:, clined denomination, some have fai
ed to be re-nominated already, an
many more will yet fail and Other
will be beaten. The presidents O
der that subordinate government o
ficials shall not take part in politics
conventions, will, it is said, seriou
Q ly effect the chances of several men
bers, whose official friends have a
> ready been chosen for delegates
conventions.
Within the last two weeks almo
:, every member of congress has +
ceived from one to twenty letter
=, asking for blanks, etc., that the wri
ers may make application for pension
- under the Mexican pension law. II
= truth is, the Mexican pension bill b
not yet become law, and probah
will not this session. The senate al
- house have differed about the bi
and it cannot reach the president u
til they agree. Speaking of pensio
) reminds me that there are now me
= men on the Government pension T.
than were ever at one time in the &C
~ federate army. Pensions are curio
- things. There are upon the pensi
10 lists over three thousand survivors
the war of 1912 and over eighte
IS. thousand widows of the 1912 soldier
80 During that war the army averag
about thirty-fve thousand all to
officers and enlisted men, and I
whole number of killed and wound
-, only amounted to five thousand
- hundred and fourteen. Yet on
:. first of July six million dollars app
rs,
;oo priated for pensions to survive
!. widows, minor children, and depeI
ent relatives on this 1912 roll
es.
came available. Of revolutions
pensioners there are a few wide
= and minor children who linger 81
- but the revolutionary pension
-. has nearly ceased to exist. All p
80, sion lists show in the course of Fl
. years small beginning, rapidly
-, creasing and slowly decreasing u
within a century il is wiped out.
no war occurs in the next half Ger
ne.
% ry, the wealth of the United Sta
relieved of this enormous drain
- its Treasury, and of payment u
the national debt, will be sometE
fabulous.
90. For the sake of the people in
bilo back districts, it is too bad that
100 bill to establish agricultural exI
i