San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-02-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our regular Cor FsspohdsnI

Ed. FREE Pass - Skirmishing be
tween the president and the repub
lican senators lively debates in Tho
lower branch of congress ! notable
speeches in the senate convention
in behalf of the Mississippi river, ant
another by the national board o
trade, are features OF the week at tn,
capital.
The controversy between the pres
ident and the majority in the senate
has reached IN interesting point anC
there is n prospect of n political de
bate in that end OF the capitol thi'
week. The republicans of the senate
determined, long since, to make as
much trouble for the president and
his party rs they could. They will
take every advantage within theil
reach TO perplex and annoy the ad'
ministration. They assume this course
to be political duty, and their lead
ers, Edmunds, Hoar, Morrill,, Sher-
man and Others, are thoroughly
trained in all the arts of obstruction
and Legislative chlcanery. They were
drilling for this onslaught on the
persons and policy composing the adj
ministration, at the time they were
making professions of good will to-
wards the president and his admins
tration.
Senator Edmunds proposes to be-
gin the fight by Offering his resolu-
ton calling upon the president to
furnish information regarding the
cases of removal OF federal officials,
and his reasons for the same. The
democratic senators are united and
harmonious, and will support Mr..
Cleveland. They are getting ready
for the discussion by holding eau
cuses, aud the republicans are doing
| likewise.
There is no more bitter partisan in
the senate than chieftain Edmunds,
of Vermont. He is the arch-enemy
of the democratic party, and he
shaped this little game while profess
sing great admiration for the presi-
dents good intentions, and an anx-
ious desire for his success. He took
pains to call at the White House at
the time of vice president Hendricks
death, and affected good will towards
Mr.. Cleveland by urging him not to
attend the funeral at indianapolis.
Mr.. Edmunds believes more in STRAIT
egy than in violence, and he has laid
his plan for entrapping the president
very artfully. He would like, above
all things, to convict Mr. Cleveland Of
inconsistency as civil service re
former, and TO trip the administra-
ton.
President Cleveland future course
in the matter cannot be outlined. He
has expressed his Willingness to fur
nish the senate with all the papers on
file in the departments bearing upon
his appointments, and such docu
ments have been sent. But whether
or not he will agree to Mr.. Edmunds
proposed demands, remains to be
seen. He may be relied upon for
knowing his rights under the consti-
tuition, and also the application of The
civil tenure law to his appointments.
He is is not apt to be d.scourteous to
the republican majority in the sen,
ate, but he is apt to maintain the au-
thority of the Executive. The senate
may resent any refusal to furnish roa-
sons for suspension or removal, but
it can only reject nominations, or lay
them over indefinitely.
The senate has again been debat-
ing the old electoral count problem.
Senator Sherman went at length in
to the issues involved, opposing all
other plans and offering one of his
own, to the effect that if the two
houses disagree, they shall meet in
Joint convention and elect q presi-
dent. Other presidential candidates
besides the willy senator from Ohio
discussed how the next vote of the
electoral college should be counted.
These were Evarts, Mr.. Hayes secre-
tary of state, and Edmunds aud
Hoar, either of whom is reckoned an
eligible New England candidate, If
the other one can be gotten out of
the way. -Four other presidential
candidates sat in group, silent but
alert listeners, turning turning occG-
sionally to neighbor, and whisper
ing with the emphasis of a clenched
fist. These were Hawley, Harrison,
Allison and COLON. The subject ev-
identity had personal interest for
each, although Logan has said re-
Gently that no man can go from the
senate!to the White House nowadays.
The House has been discussing
pensions, among other things. Nearly
all the old pension projects of the
forty-eighth congress have been in
Produced in this, while there are some
new ones which Guido i'll extravaganza
anything hitherto proposed. There
was warm debate on the bill in
creasing widows pensions from IS to
So. Representative Reagan, of
Texas, opposed it. Said he: II do
not expect to defeat the bill, nor any
pension bill brought up here, no mat
ter how great an outrage it may be
upon common sense and common
right; but in the name of my con
stituents and the taxpayers of this
1 protest against tue indis-
criminate giving of pensions to all
Il ,,.f,r nri- -.