The Washington critic., 1886-08-10
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

answers scores of letters every day
which are addressed to him by private
individuals. Mr.. Cleveland likes to
look over the curious letters which
come in his mail. Not few of them
] replies to. There probably never
has been President who has written
as much with his own hand as Mr..
Cleveland. He Is not obliged to do 1t
by any means, but he writes simply be.
cause he likes to. Since she has been
In the White House, Mrs. Cleve-
land has been attacked with the
letter writing craze. She writes on
an average twenty letters each day.
Several of them are missives to old
school friends, but the remainder are
to people personally unknown to her.
Mrs. Cleveland answers every letter
received by her, and it is said that she
always says something In each which
will please the person TO whom the let
ter Is intended Most of the letters
which come to the White House bear.
ing her name are from young married
women. They make all sorts of queer
requests. Some want advice and some
thC CuIlu. NlTS. SICNtluIu HlNCS uu-
vice freely where she thinks 1t will be
received In the proper spirit, and where
she thinks the writer is sincere, but she
has vein of sarcasm for meddlesome
persons who are attempting to gain tenn
porary notoriety. She writes much
larger hand than her distinguished
husband. II is plain and trifle uneven,
and looks as though she hadn't fully
settled upon her style. Sometimes the
lines run down hill, and the whole let.
ter is apt to appear to be hastily pre-.
pared. The President and Mrs. Cleve-
land are having great time writing
letters at the Executive Mansion. 1t
is form of amusement, however,
which will not be likely to supersede
the prevailing fashion of keeping ones
correspondence all the way from week
to ayear behindhand.
#*x
Since the assembling of the First
Congress, says writer in the Phila.
delphia Times, only nine sessions have
been of longer duration than the one
just closed. The second session of the
Fifth, which met in Philadelphia No
vember 13, 1907, ran 246 days. Its
great measures were the establishment
of foreign intercourse through repre-
sentatives abroad, the protection of
American commerce against English
arrogance and French spoliation, the
impeachment of William Blount, a
Senator from Tennessee for high
crimes and misdemeanors, meeting the
diplomatic troubles with the French
Directory, providing against the in.
trigues of alien enemies, organization
of provisional army and raising of
additional revenue. The first session
of the Twelfth Congress sat in Wash
ington 245 days from November 4, 1911,
and its deliberations covered all the leg
islation incident to the prosecution of
the war, declared, June 10, 1912, against
Great Britain, and the Indian frontier
campaigns eliminating in the battle of
Tippecanoe. The second session of
the Twenty seventh Congress, 2G0 days
long, from December 6, 1871, en-
braced the debates over the United
States Bank, controversies with Great
Britain on account of Canada and
boundary questions, and on the high
tariff act of August 80, 1912. The first
session of the Thirtieth Congress,
from December 6, 1917, psi days, en-
braced the political debates and legis-
lation incident to the war with Mex
leo, the acquisition of California and
tariff of 1916. The longest session on
record was the first of the Thirty.tirs
Congress-December 3, 1Si0, to Sep
tember 30, 1850, period of 302 days
the discussion and passage of the
fugitive slave law being the principal
feature. The first of the Thirty.sec-
ond Congress, from December
/, 1851, two hundred and
seventy.five days. was q continue
tion of slavery discussion. The first of
the Thirty.third Congress, from De-
cember 8, 1858, two hundred and
foriy.six days, witnessed the debates
and passage of the Kansas Nebraska
bill. One Of the most exciting sessions
was the first of the Thirty fourth Con-
gress, beginning December g. 1865, and
sitting two hundred and sixty days.
Partisan discussion assumed great bit
terness on the slavery question, cul-
minating in the assault on Senator
Charles Sumner by Senator Preston S.
Brooks.
&A
Says the Atlanta correspondent OF
the Augusta ChrOnicle: Congressman
Hammond, while polished and cour-
teous in bearing and scrupulously neat
in his dress, has not the talent for mix
ing with people and knowing every
body that seems to be u prerequisite
of success in the politics of to-day. In
deed, / have seen him walk down the
man in n hundred, looking straight
ahead of him, and speaking only when
salu,ed. 1t matters not how cminently
fitted man may be for the position he
fills, he can hardly hope to hold it
these days, unless he hobnobs with
Tom, Dick and Harry and is hailfel-
low-wcll-met with every voter in the
district, whether he be gentle.
man or a thief. Colonel Ham
mond doesn't seem to want the Office
Il at bad, Again, he is conspicuously
Arcadian in another point. He will
not buy votes or pay for his election.
heard one of his warm friends say
yesterday: 81 told him could carry
- county for him with $500, but
he wouldn't give it. He said he was
before the people of the Fifth Congress;
ional district for reelection. They
knew his qualifications and record. If
they desired him to represent them
longer they could vote for him; II they
wanted a new man they could vote for
him. lie should not pay any man tc
vote for him" This Is hightoned
honorable and independent, and Is a
manly platform, but it is one that is
not generally appreciated by this com
mercial age. 1t is to be hoped, how,
ever that the people of this district will