The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-04-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, March %, 1886.
EDITOR KEYSTONE

to close, and everybody is glad. No
questions will be asked, by non
partisans at least, as to which side
backed down, if both sides will
only unite now and get to work at
the business of the session. The
whole affair has been a dreary
suuabble over matter that was OF
small consequence to the people.
Senators Colquitt of Georgia and
Ingalls, of Kansas will speak to-day,
and then if no other Senator signi-
fies his desire to be heard on the
subject, Senator Edmunds will ask
for vote on his resolutions that
. the Senate shall not confirm until
the papers are supplied.
The contest for open sessions of
the Senate is not dead but only
sleeping. The question has been
overshadowed by preparation for
the discussion between the Presi-
dent and the Senate. 1t will yet
come up for debate. There is a
prevailing opinion that the Senate
possesses too much power. 1t is
the least democratic of our institu-
tons. Senators not coming directly
from the people, are not truly rep
resentative with reference to popu-
lation, and being elected for terms
of. six years, they have less regard
for their constituents wishes than
the members of the Lower House.
They have special powers of con-
frming nominations, making treat
les and impcaching high officers of
the Government. They have a
maximum of power and a mini
mum of accountability, and it is
felt that this is situation not to
be intensified by secret sessions.
Senator Jackson of Tennessee
said his only objection to open
sessions was that an open discus
sion would take more time than a
secret one. Senators would be
speaking to the galleries all the
time. They would feel the neces-
sity of explaining their votes to their
constituents. This, he thought,
would be particularly the case
where Senators from one State took
opposite sides of q question.
The Democrats do not complain
that Mr.. Cleveland has not made a
sufficient number of removals.
They concede that he has been
pretty active in this direction.
Their complaint is that he has not
made party appointments. 1t is
claimed that he has pretty gener-
ally ignored the party leaders in
making his selections and has
named men whom no one never
heard of. He has raked obscurity
to fill the federal vacancies.
Therefore, it is said, there is no
possibility of his denomination by
his party. He has chosen toignore
the men who rule conventions and
they mean to ignore him the first
time opportunity offers. Mean
while, however, he will have the
experience of being President in
the fullest sense of the word dur
ing his term. And who can say
that this position is not really the
most independent one?
A bill to abolish the cxtravagant
practice of having Congressional
committees accompany the remains
of deceased Senators and Repre-
sentatives to their place of burial
meets with general approval.
In many instances the funeral
excursions are productive of Incl
dents anything but respectful to
the dead. No Congressman who
has ever served on one would be
willing to have his own demise
celebrated by junketing trip. A
Congressional committee once took
the remains of an Iowa member to
that State. The widow was on the
funeral train, and the escorting
committee became go noisy and
hilarious that the lady was con-
strained to send request to them
to please be quiet. A Senator who
was recently very sick here said to
his wife: "If l die, you and the
children take me home, but don't
let them send any committee
along"
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