The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-12-31
WASHINGTON LETTER
tFrom our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. ID. c.. Dec. 81


tFrom our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. d. c., Dec. 81, 1885.
The last session of the Forty ninth
Congress is shaming it's predecessor
by industry. There has been a good
deal less talk and a good deal more
work than usual so far. The passage
of such bills as that to give the Indians
land in severalty, that to redeem trade
dollars, that 10 repeal the Tenure of
Office act, Postal bills and appropria-
tions, reflects high credit on Congress
as a part of its second weeks work.
Besides this legislation, various sub
jects have been briefly discussed, such
as Interstate commerce, the Fisheries,
the Tariff and the Beck Railroad At
torney bill The latter measure of the
Kentucky Senator strikes at the rail.
road Senators and Members, and its
aim is to prevent them from acting as
attorneys for subsidized railroad cor
porations while receiving salaries from
the Government.
When Col. Morrison called up the
Tariff, hush instantly fell over the
House and noise IN the galleries ceased.
All eyes we're tnrned upon him as he
arose to say, "Mr. Speaker, / move that
the House resolve itself into commit
tee of the whole for the purpose Of
considering revenue bills" The yeas
and nays were then demanded, and
during the roll call absolute silence
reigned in the Hall, and many mem
bers with pencil in hand we're figuring
mp the vote. Messrs. Morrison and
Randall were APPARENTLY the calmest
men on the floor, each leaning back in
bis chair within a few feet of each
other, while now and then remark
was exchanged between them. When
it was announced that the motion was
lost, there was applause on the Repub
lican side. Mr.. Morrison's proposition
was voted down by the small majority
of five this time, while last June it was
defeated by seventeen.
The Senare's repeal of the Tenure Of
of Office act restores to the President
the right OF removing Federal officers
at any time. The House will probably
pass the bill with but little discussion
and so it will likely become law be
fore the fourth of March. The Presi
dent will then be free from all restraint
of a legal character in removing Re
publican officials.
The law was enacted when Congress
was overwhelmingly Republican il
both branches, to handicap the inde-
pendent course of President johnson
in removing Republicans from office
As it was designed specially to fit,
Mr.. Jobnson's case, few Republicans
had any furlhe use for the law afte,
Gen. Grant became president and they
made several attempts to repeal it. Or
those occasions the Democrats did no,
urge, ae was natural for them, tina,
what was law for johnson must be Law
for Grant, but conterded for the re
peal of the act ON constitutions
grounds in company with Morton aut
Sherman, Butler and Logan and othe
Republicans.
Senator Edmunds made two violen
speeches agair st repeating the act
Ever since the famous controvers,
of last winter between him and tn
President which began with such
flourish Of trumpets and ended so IN
Rloriously for Mr.. Edmunds, the latte
becomes monomaniac whenever tn
matter of Executive rights as oppose,
TO the claims of the Senate is brough
before him. He at once begins t.
rant about giving the Executive tn
''nngly power" and the corruption
that will follow his right of removal.
1t would give inexpressble comfor
to politicians all over the country
the letters that men write, like th
good they do, were inferred with thei
bones" A fifteen year old letter O
Gen. Grants, showing his disbelief i
the sincerity of Gen. Logans republ
canism, has Just come to light VIII
wants to have his opinions publishe
fifteen years after they were uttered
And if Gen. Grant did suspect the pal
tisan loyalty of Gen. Logan then, h
would not now, for the Illinois Senate
has changed his base since then as con
pletely as has Senator Sherman hi
views on the Tenure of Office act. Tn
willy Ohio Senator is recorded in Coz
gress and on the stump as one of tn
earliest advocates of It's unoonditioni
repeal. This was on the ground thu
the only possible motto of politics
parties in Republic is "to the victor
belong" everything. Imagine the su
prise of his associates last Friday whe
Senator Sherman voted in the negativ'
The program of the Presidents Ne
Year reception at the White Hout
has been arranged like those of formt
years. The Comptroller of the Trea
ury looks unfavorabyl'upon one of il
details, however. Just how the niI
august personages who compose ii
u. 5. Supreme Court, can on that o,
casion so expand themselves as to r.
quire eleven roomy carriages, as the
did last year, To take them to and fro
the Executive Mansion, would puzz
one more deeply versed in the myste
Ies of the law even than Judge Du
ham. And then why Uncle Sa
should be required to pay S20 for Il
use of each of these vehicles for t "
hours is another mystery. The ne
Democratic official sees in this tin
bonored custom an expenditure of u
peoples money that is little too e.
travagapt although it is but lit
item in The aggregate, and there
likely TO be reform sometime.