Nevada County picayune., 1886-05-26
wASHTNGTON LETTER.
Washington, D. q. May, 2lst, 1886

The most outrageous pension bill that ever received favorable notice in Congress, passed the Senate this week. If it could be- come n law it would provide for the payment ot forty or fifty million dollars year 10 men who once foughtin the Union Army, for no other reason than that they arc poor. The bill is Of course. q reckless bid for votes. The vaults of the United States Treas ury are tue resource of bankrupt politicians in Congress, and the "old soldierso are the chips with which these demagogues play their game.
 This pension grab is the project of Senator Blair of New iinmp- shire, and it is difficult 10 see how any man of ordinary Intelligence could aesumc tue championship Of such a measure. There are some Republican, Senators who are com- pelled to be ashamed of their vote for tue bil, aHl doubtless there are many who would not nave vet cd f5r it if they had supposed it cosld pass the House. It practi
 cslly gives pension to every man who is needy if he served in tho UIion Army anu is uot ehtitled to d pension under existing laws.
 All tue impccan!ous and nc3ra- tla mon W ho were on tha muster roll fer three months woull be in. clnded in it's provisions. Senator
 Blair thinks there are s quarter of a million of such but others think there are two or three tiiaes as many, aud that no one can predict or foresec what the leakage from the Treasury would be if such fan tastic patriotism and charity were once commenced.
 l Senator Logan lias also been busy in efforts to secure pensions 1 for everybody who fought in the late WAT, or who had relative in the raaks. He also proposes to have il understood thu, he is talk ing great iutcrc.t in labor prob lens that are asitating Congress and the country. aud has presented a method solution. Lis plan is to have q permanent commission Of five members :prointcl by the President snd confirmed by the Senate, The disputes between the employer and employed are to be referred to this commission on the written consent ofthose interested. cannot mention tho many details of bis plan, which he has offered az substitute for the arbitration bill which recently passed the House and is now ptnding in the Senate. . Notwithstanding lis efforts at popu'arity'th Is no presidential candidate who las so much oppo- g;ti,n in t'sc Senate as Gen !. s., ,,,: .., More offcnse has been shown hi.n on tho Republican side during the past winter than at any time since he has been in the Senate. There is a little coterie of Western Soma tors whe have made Q point of an- taGon'zing him on every possible question. The reason why the Senate has doue so little this scs- sion is on account of the lack of harmony among the many Rcpub- lican Presidential asp:rants. All of these candidates fight each oth- CT and only unite to fight the Sena- tor f. om Ilinoisc.
 Of the 2,l0O nominations sent the Senate by Presidcnt Cleveland, l,I0O have been confirmed and but 13 rejected. Yet no one has heard ofany consignment of reasons sent to that body by the President. And the Congressional Pan Electric in- quiry has closed without any startling developments. The com mittee will present their reports to the ,Houssg by the middle of June, and the majority report will exonerate Attorney General Gar lasd from all blanc on account of his connection with the affair.
 A bill has just been reported to the House which provides against defects in the existing law by creating and defining the office of second Vice President in case of removal from office, death, res- lgnatiOn or constitutional diSabili-