Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-02-05
Washington Letters.
From our Regular Correspondent.

washington Letters.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. Jan. Is, 1856.
Congress has been peristently
irrelevant this week. Both Senators
and Representatives have shown al
irresistible inclination to ignore bust
ness and deliver speeches on pet
subjects. On one day the Senate
listened to three orations on totally
dissimiliar measurers, Silver, Art and
the Army. Senator Manderson call.
ed attention to his bill for building
up the Army. Senator Blair asked
that monuments be erected to Lin
coin and Grant, and Senator Pugh
and Vance advocated continued coin
age of the silver dollar.
Ex-Gov. Curtin's resignation of
the Craftsmanship of the Banking
and Currency Committee, and Sena-
tor ingalls, coinage resolution are
the prominent financial features of
the week at the Capitol. Mr.. Cur
tins action, which was anticipated,
brings an extreme silver man, Repre-
sentative Miller of Texas, to the head
of this committee, and the Senator
from Kansas proposes to continue
the present coinage of silver until a
limit has been reached of $500, ,OO0,-
600. At the present rate of coinage,
$40 900, 900 month, it would take
fifteen years from date to reach this
amount. In declining the position
to which he was assigned, Mr.. Cur
tin said he was not lacking in appre-
citation of the honor conferred upon
him by the Speaker, but that he
could not escape the conviction that
the tastes and experiences OF his
public life were not such as fitted him
to serve in that position with salts.
faction to himself or with usefulness
to the House.
The silver men have established
there headquarters here, and their
work is apparent in the halls of Con-
eress. Scarcely day passes with
out q Congressman introducing a
petition against the retirement OF
silver. Agitation of the silver ques-
ton will probably continue through
the entire session, But" remarked
Senator Colquit of Georgia, est will
be accomplished. The opinion il
o fair reflex of the views of a major
ity of the Senators from the South
and West, and party lines would be
quickly obliterated on q vote for the
demonetization of silver" Senator
Pugh Of Alabama, in good natured
references to the Administrations
silver policy said, that on this sub.
ject, both parties allowed differences
of opinion within the ranks. On
next Monday the silver question will
be formally presented in the Senate
for consideration and then talk OF
silver, which has been given out SO
freely of late, will be relevant in that
end of the Capitol at least.
A Democratic Representative was
speaking of the tardiness of the
House in getting down to business,
aud OF the tendency of members to
speak in season and out upon their
measures. Said he, This House is
like q glass of beer, there is a lot of
froth to be blown off before you can
get down to the substance. Scores
of members have speeches prepared
on various subjects, and they had
Just as we'll be blown off now when
the House has nothing else to do.
They are sure to waste time, here
after, when the House gets fairly to
business. They are the froth that
has to be got rid of before any real
work can be done.
The House has shown commend.
able alacrity in regard to the Presid-
tial succession bill. Some members
were disposed to object to certain
provisions of the bill, but it passed
substantially as it came from the
Senate. The feature most criticised
is that which creates Cabinet inter-
regnum till the expiration of the full
Presidential term. But the contin-
gsncy is SO remote that this objec.
: ton is rather fanciful one, it being
altogether unlikely that both Presi-
dent and Vice-President will ever
die at tue beginning of term.
The Senate, in secret session, has
been confirming the Presidents 4
nominations, many of them almost
as fast as the names could he read.
Among the first were tile Civil Ser
vice Commissioners. When MIR.
Eaton's name came up, Senator
Logan made the point that he was q
"mugwump," and that the spirit OF
the civil service law required that
one of the commissioners be Re-
publican. Several Republican Sen
ators vouched for Mr.. Eaton's poll.
tics, and the Commission is now GER
tilted to the country as eligible for
its duties. Very few of the nomi-