Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-01-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Jan. IL, 1886.

Dfucc us uOiiudy sdCdtIOhs Noi
gress has been in session a week,
and the Senate has been at work.
Silver, Woman Suffrage, and Poly
gamous Utah have been prominent
features in its discussions. Nor
monism is doomed SO far as the
Senate is concerned, the Edmunds
anti-polygamy bill having passed
that body by majority of thirty
one. The measure is crushing
blow at the Salt Lake Hierarchy
1t places all temporal affairs OF the
MormoDs in the hands of fourteen
trustees, and makes the church
funds unavailable for immigration.
The delegate from Utah, Mr..
Game, sat on sofa in the Senate
chamber while his Territory was
under Senatorial fire, listening
eagerly to all that was said. When
the final vote commenced he
Strengthened up and grew straighter
and straighter as it became more
evident that the bill would carry
He looked very unhappy over the
result, and when asked what the
Mormon people would think, he
said with a sigh, "Oh, they are used
to it now"
During the week Senator Edmunds
has displayed some Of his oldtime
formidableness IN the Senate. He
was aroused by opposition to his
anti-polygamy bill. Secretary Eel
Ter, of Colorado, is conservative in
regard to the MormOns. He thinks
the evil in Utah should be treated
with velvety hand, and that the
Government is prosecuting the Nor
mons. Senator Van Wyck, of Ne
braska, pictured the extravaganza
of the present Utah Commission in
a ludicrous way that greatly amused
the galleries. About this time Sen
ator Gray, of Delaware, the successor
of Secretary Bayard was to make
his maiden speech, and Senator
Edmunds was asked to retire Polyg
amy for the day in favor of the sill
yer question. The Senator from
Vermont wanted his Utah bill "sat
out" and brought to a VOTE
Besides he had said these financial
dissertations " which the Democra-
tic Senators were pressing to the
front for publication, to the exclu-
sion of business, were untimely, in
asmuch as there was no financial
measure before the Senate at pres
ent. He yielded to the debutant
however, saying it was so important
for new Senators to make their first
speeches that they should not be
thwarted by anything but the fall
ing in of the walls. After this un
gracious introduction Mr.. Gray read
speech in favor of suspension of
coinage in which he used the current
arguments. He was followed by
Senator Mcpherson. of New Jersey,
who is on the same side of silver.
The latter had been supplied with
information from the Treasury De-
partment, and his speech was more
interesting from the fresh facts it
contained.
Woman Suffrage in not popular
in the Senate. The gallant band
who recorded themselves in favor OF
it by voting against that provision
of the Edmunds bill deprivlng the
women of Utah of that privilege
numbered only eleven, while thirty
seven hard, cruel Senators said yes,
take it from them. Senator
Edmunds declared he would vote to
grant the right of suffrage to women
whenever he thought a majority of
the women of the United State
wanted it. AT present he thinks
they do not want it, and he believes
that their wishes should govern the
matter.
The House has received and heard
the titles read of hundreds of new
bills, and Members have learned
where they are to work on the stand
ing committees. There were many
disappointment and surprises, OF
course. In the distribution of hon.
ors, the South received twenty one
Chairmanships, the West fifteen,
and the East seven. AS was expect
ed the Committees that are to deal
with the tariff and coinage reflect
Western views, and the House may
be said to be organized on a South
ern and Western basis.
If nothing is done in the House
again this session, diiatory states
men will not have the "old rules y
to blame fer it. Some of them will
regret this, for, bad as the old ways
were, they served one useful purpose
in being a convenient scape goat
for Congressional laziness.
At the close of the last five Con-
crosses there have never been less
than two hundred Senate bills lying
on the Speakers table. 1t was pro
baby due to this fact that Senator
Hoar. OF Massachusetts, has just in
troduced bill for longer sessions of
Congress. He mentioned in pre-
senting the measure that the bust
ness of the country was increasing
so fast as to necessitate more work
from Congress. For years the Sen
ate has been the business end of the
Capitol. 1t has piled up work for
the House while the latter has
wrangled over "points of order y
and precedence of business"