The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-07-07
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENCE.
WASHINGTON D. C. July ,. 1886

Congress has been wrestling with appro
priation bills this week hoping to hasten
an adjournment, but that event is still far
off No matter how urgent their work, how
ever our lawmakers can always find time
to stray eff into irrelevant paths in the midst
of any debate No matter bow important
the question under consideration not 4 day
passes but that both legislation halls Of the
Capitol are scenes of undignifed assaults of
Members upon each other, partisan thrusts,
and acrimonious personalities.
While looking down at the representatives
of fifty five millions of people, your cores
pondent is often grieved at the aUdacity and
etfrontery Of the Legislators who turn from
the mighty responsibility and pressure OF
petty wraneles and personal animosities.
The present week has been unusually pro-
liic in quarrels of this kind. and in the re-
vival Of little feuds One of the most ludl-
crouS scenes took place between Congress
between them for several minutse, and fiat
contradictions and threats followed, When
both jumped up thre;st2;nSly, and each
told the other that he had better not threat
en-.
And no matter how great the urgency Of
public business, Congressman take time for
/. little pleasantly whenever an opportunity
is presented. To day the fun may Ee at the
expense of one of the National Capitals
monuments. Tomorrow it may be a Cab:
net officer who is placed IN some ridiculous
light. Yesterday it was the new Pension
building that was assa!led with the battery
Of ridicule. Representative Durham put It
mildly by calling it an ARCHITECTURAL non
sensity. Representative Rogers referred to
it as cross between q car stable and a IN
ion depot. Mr.. Springer thought it was
ugly enough to be blown up with dynamite,
while Mr. Cannon admired the structure
very much and Mr.. Mcmillan said he rather
liked it.
Senator Ingalls, of Kansas predicts that
the Senates will undo some of the work re-
Gently done by the House when that grave
and august body gets chance. He refer
red to the bin passed by the House, prohi-
biting pool-selling, book making betting on
sports, elections or other events, and gam
bling OF all kinds in the District Of Colum-
bia. There was a spirited debate in the
House at the time. Representative Hemp
hill, of South Carolina, said that every state
had law Of this kind, and as We were a
Christian nation. the people Of the District
of Columbia should receive as much moral
help as people elsewhere. Representative
Adams, of New York, who undertook to
point out the fatality of such laws, asked #
they were not uniformly evaded in every
state. The South Carolinian was not pre-
pared to deny the allegation, but contended
that the law was good, and that because peo-
pie were bad enough to break it was no rca-
son why it should not be made.
Representative Barbour, Of Virginia, was
also opposed to placing legislative restric-
tons upon horse-racing and other such pas
times. He held that it was Of national i'm
portance, that We wanted to cultivate that
noble animal-the horse. But is this bill
against horse-racing, OF against betting:
asked Mr. Weaver, of Iowa. "Ok, every
body knows" said Mr.. Barbour, that you
can't keep up horse-racing without the in
terest that betting gives. But the House
passed the bill against such sports, and that
is the one that Senator ingalls, says the Sen
ate will kill when it comes before It. We
are inclined to be very wicked on the Senate
side of the Capitol, said he, and the Purl-
tanical ideas that seek to take root IL Wash
ington will not be fostered much by our
treatment He holds that people have q
right to do as they please with their money,
but it is to be hoped that he is mistaken as
to the sentiment Of the Senate on this subject.
So many interesting and important events
have occurred in Washington, and so many
distinguished people have lived and died
here, that 1t is at last suggested that houses
and spots of historical interest be designat-
ed in some way. Ii is rather strange that
the City Fathers have not attended to this
before It would add greatly to the interest
and pleasure of visitors 10 Washington If
tablets were placed upon the walls Of houses,
similar to that marking the house into which
Abraham Lincoln was borne to breathe lis
last For snstance; "On this spot George
Washington built house intended for his
winter home" '.In this house died Henry
Clay" The boarding house Of Aaron
Burr" '.In this house the assassin attemp-
ted the life OF William a. Seward" There
are a hundred spots of interest that
nigh be marked in this way for the pleasure