Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-07-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, July 2, 1886

During the week the willy Senator
from Vermont has shown more than a
usual tendency towards new depar-
lures. There have been occasional
Edmunds sensations at the Capitol
ever since the Senator's ambition
turned squarely towards the White
House, but three freaks in the same
week arc sUnicUa.ing extraOIuinnr..
I In the first place Mr.. Edmunds Gre
ated real sensation by appearing in
the galleries of The Senate Chamber
as the escort of a bridal couple from
his State. He was never seen with
plain, quiet constituent before, and it
was regarded as positive proof that his
fences are rickety this time, and that
his Senatorial contest is real. Very
few Senators dare to ignore the claims
made upon them by their constituents
as Edmunds has done, but he has new
er had any real opposition to his re-
election until now. He sat by this
honeymoon couple for quite a while,
pointed out to them the various Sena-
tors, and even graciously explained to
them some of the features of the de-
bate, while the Senators on the floor
exchanged significant glances over
this unparalleled devotion.
Mr.. Edmunds' next new departure
was the new attitude he assumed on
the subject of the Senate's jurisdiction
over the Presidents nominations to
Office and his suspensions and remov-
ais from Office. He introduced a bill in
the Senate which proposes to give the
President absolute power to make all
the appointments to Office which now
he can make only "by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate"
According to this bill, the Senate is to
have nothing whatever to do in the
future, either with appointments or re-
mOvals. There will be no need for ex-
ecutive sessions, either secret or open.
The Senator created third sensa-
ton by objecting to a second reading
of the joint resolution which had pre-
yiously passed the House, to provide
fUi the expenditures OF the uovcrn-
ment for the next ten days following
the last day of June, the end of the
fiscal year. This caused an unusual
outlook for the first day of the new
fiscal year, and the Executive depart
ments opened in consequence, ON
the first day of July, without funds for
the payment of any of their employees.
"This is an unprecedented emer-
gency, so far as / know" said U. S.
Treasurer Jordon. No new business
Of any kind can be done, no disburse-
ments can be made, and unless action
he taken before the end of July, no
Government official, not even the
President, can get his months salary.
Senator Edmunds' purpose was to
emphasize and call public attention to
the repeated failures of appropriation
bills to reach the Senate in time for
one deliberation and seasonable action
before the end of the fiscal year-a
purpose which is approved by both the
Democrats and Republicans of the
Senate.
Under the law which forbids any
Department to expend money in any
fiscal year in excess of appropriations,
or to involve the Government in any
contract for the future payment of
money in excess of appropriations, it
is questionable whether the heads of
Departments have the right to accept
the services of their employees with an
understanding that they are to be
compensated when Congress makes
the appropriation. The question
never came up before, but it is proba-
BILE the Senate will at once pass the
emergency resolution passed by the
House and all will be right again.
The vetoing of pension bills llus mo.
with almost unanimous approval from
the Democrats in Congress, the only
criticisms coming from the Republi-
cans. The President has been at
tackled by Republicans in both houses
of Congress during the week for what
they call violations of his Civil Ser
vice pretensions. Senator Hoar made
quite vituperative speech and In
gals, of Kansas, attempted, as usual,
high flown carcasm.
This led Senator Cockrell, of Mis-
souri,, to reply that the taunts fell
harmless. The Administration need
ed no defender in the Senate. The
people of the United States would live
to bend their knees in thankfulness
that Grover Cleveland had become
President. He was an honest, brave,
true man and he was doing all that
any one mortal being could do to give
the people an honest, fearless, econ
omical and Constitutional Admins
| trStion. Irate Senator Hoar declared
that President Cleveland had not at
tempted to keep the pledges which
proceeded and followed his election.
He thought his promotion of party
and partisan interests had been equal
| to that of Van Buren, and Pierce.
AT Walla Walla Chinaman voted
in the local option election, having
proven that he was native-born