The Rugby gazette and east Tennessee news. (Rugby, Morgan Co., Tenn.) 1884-188?, 1886-05-15
Washington Letter.
lFrsm eur regular Csrrespondelt.)

+ Some OF the members Of Congress,
both Senators and Representatives, who
have interested themselves in the pas
sage Of private pension blk, are very
deeply interested in the announcement,
that the President 10 going to look into
! the merits Of the cases before signing
the hills. Several called at the White
House Saturday to look after the par
ticular bills they are interested in, but
the only satisfaction they got was tn.
assurance that If the President found
the bills just and proper they would be
signed; otherwise they could not expect
them to bs approved. 1t 10 generally
thought that the President has taken
the popular side Of the question.
AS an illustration Of the lax system
which prevails in Congress in tho con-
sideration aud passage Of pension bills,
= bill has been reported avorably frsm
the Senate committee on pensions to
pension ar Indiana citizen, not for any
disease or disability which he incurred
in the service, but "fur such diseases az
now exist" 1t was, perhaps, the inten-
ton to refer to diseases from which the
claimant may suffer, hut the language
Of the bill can rs readily be applied to
diseases existiugin the entire human IA.
miIy.. Other instances of the provisions
Of pension bills affording prccf Of hasty
consideration have been observed. In
one case the bill named All amount
greatly in excess Of the rate Of pensions
intended to he allowed. In order t. get
through the mass Of pension cases which
have accumulated, members Of com nit
tees to whom bills were referred for OK.
animation turn them over to clerks
and private secretaries, and some Seaa-
tors and Representatives have employed
clerks temporarily solely to 60 through
PENSION cases. As the cases come from
these clerks, it is said, they are frequent
ly reported, apd Congress takes the re-
port Of the committee ~ it's guide All
rushss them through. !.
The minority report Of the House
Judiciary committee in favor Of woman
suffrage, signed hy Messru. E. X. Taylol
". p. Hepburn, L, H. CasweIl and A.
A. Ranley, c|arActerizes the history of
woman az history Of wrong aid out
rage; says that M IN, not God, his fixed
wo'uaa's sphere, and that, for woman =
good, she needs the ballot; that her vote
is needed for the good Of others; tina,
woman is All enemy to war and friend
to peace and home, and her influence
would bc potent for good if armed with
the ballot. The report also maintains
that the. fact that some women, even a
| majority. do not want the ballot, should
net prevent those who do from having
it.
The majority in opposing female
suffrage did not dignity the subject
With a report. They simply referred to
the report Of the committee in the last
CYagrsss, and. recommended that the
| resolution lie OH the table.
1t was agreed in the Senate Friday
that vote should % taken on tho in
ter-state commerce bill to-day. An
amendment submitted by Mr.. Morgan
relates to conspiracy. 1t provides that
if two or more persons, with intent to
prevent the movements Of any locomo-
tive, car or train, or to put in peril thu
personal security Of any officsr or en-
piOyo ofany railroad company, shall b.
guilty Of conspiracy, and on conviction
shall be punished by imprisonment To-
not more than six months, or BY fin
of not more than $500, or both.
1t is understood that the bill for tn.
reconstruction Of the Navy, the build
J ing Of new cruisers, etc., will not Be cal
led up in the House this session. Blu
if by any chance it should get up it vii
not pass. 1t is stated that the order ha
gone cut from high authority to kill al
such measures IS involve large ant
unusual expenditure Of money. TIL
will have very important effect upo
the wsrk Of the session.
I notice that some enterprising col
respondent has been filling his colum
and entertaining his readers with
statement that $l62, 100000 of wealt
. is represented in the U. s. Senate. Pee
pie are always interested in rsadin
9 about the rich, and long rows Of q
fl phers after a mans name are Is fasc