The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-01-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.


| w aSuINGIVN, Dec. ou, 1000.
The emphatic vote 229 to 20, by
which the House decided to change
its rules showed how general was
the feeling that a reform was neces-
sary. The seventy who resisted the
change do not represent all of the
Members who look forward with
anxiety to the effect of distributing
the appropriations bills among the
different committees. The change
is an experiment which will be
watched with interest, to see if it
will result in extravaganza. Rep
resentative Kelly, of Penn, who,
because of his age and long service
is called the Father of the House."
said that no new rules could not be
worse than the old code. He no
doubt voiced the feelings of the
i1ass of Members. Mr.. Randall
fought earnestly against the change
of rules and his defeat has been
the subject of much speculation at
the Capital. 1t has been doubted
if he would now accept the Chair
manship of the Appropriations
Committee, shorn as it is of so much
of its power. Many may think
that the Forty-ninth Congress has,
by this change, opened Its first
session with q serious mistake, and
the lobby is naturally delighted
over the prospect of augmented
business.
The passage of the bill pension
ing Mrs. Grant was not attended
by debate, nor did it arouse oppo-
sition in either branch of Congress,
though i'm the House one vote was
recorded against it, that of Mr..
Pierce, of Wisconsin. The pre-
cedent has been established of al
lowing pension of $1,000 a year
to the widows of ex-Presidents.
The Senate debated and passed
the Presidential succession bill,
which the House will consider inn
mediately after the recess. On
this constitutional question Sena-
tor Eyarts made his FIRST speech in
the Senate, and had what few men
get--interested galleries and
thoroughly attentive Senate The
succession bill will be antagonizcd
in the House by several measures
which will be offered as substitutes
to il. .t..f.... .....
In the Senate debate upon the
alleged organization of the Terri
tory of Dakota into State, Sena-
tor Harrison, of Indiana, champion
ed Dakota, while Senator Vest, Of
Missouri, branded her recent pro-
ceedings as revolutionary. During
the debate Senator Harrison was
accused by Senator Butler of show
ing bad temper. The Senator from
Indiana denied the charge, and add
ed, that had the Senator from
South Carolina ever seen him out
of temper really, he would know
how to discriminate.
The senior Senator Hampton,
from South Carolina has intro
duced a bill i'm the Senate which is
in full accord with Civil Service
reform. The bill makes it, unlaw-
full for Senators or Representatives
to recommend or solicit the APP
pointment of any one to an office
under the United States Govern
ment, and provides a fine for mis-
demeanor. The bill will doubtless
find favor with the more independ-
ent Congressman, who would like
to be relieved of the annoyance of
office brokerage. But the provis-
ions of the bill are pronounced by
many impracticable. 1t would be
next to impossible to enforce the
penalties Of the act.
The President has been visited
during the week by delegation of
Indians from Iowa. They recited
their wrongs and troubles to him
as the Indians usually do. One Of
their grievances was that their chill
dren were in danger of being taken
from them and sent East to school,
The President sent them to the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs to
talk about their lands, and assured
them that only those Of their chii-
dren who wanted to be educated
should be sent to school.