Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-05-22
HERALD, SATURDAY,
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, May II, 1886.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, May II, 1886.
Many Congressman are now in a
disturbed state of mind, lest they
will not be returned to their seats
next fall. They are waiting anxious
~ for news of denomination. Quite
a number of them, it is thought, are
doomed to disappointment, and the
thought of their dilapidated fences
at home, makes them anxious for an
early adjournment.
The passage of three appropri-
alton bills by the House last week
made them hopeful, of an early re-
lease and Speaker Carlisle is quoted
as saying that it is possible for Con-
gress to adjourn by the 25th of June.
That will be less than six weeks.
The prevailing opinion, however, is
that Congress will not get away be-
fore August. Work is far behind,
and while many members would like
to be among their constituents,
others want time to make Congress
sional records for the approaching
canvass.
A good joke was perpetrated up
on Senator Vance by Senators Ken
ma and Salisbury. On entering the
Senate chamber Thursday morning
these gentlemen saw beautiful
basket of flowers upon the North
Carolina Senator's desk, and before
the latter came in, removed it to the
the desk OF Senator Beck. When
Mr.. Vance entered, they called his
attention to the Kentucky Senator's
floral tribute" Oh, yes, remarked
Mr.. Vance, in his disrespectful, jo-
vial way: Beck bought it some
where. That's the way all these fel
lows get flowers. Mr.. Kenna sug-
gested that Mr.. Vance examine the
card attached to the basket. When
he discovered that the flowers were
for himself, Mr.. Vance took posses
sion of them with the remark that
there were exceptions to all rules.
Representative Kelley, of Penn
sylvania, who is called the Father
of the House" because he is the old
est member in 1t and has served
through more Congresses than any
other man, was talking about the
general department of Congressman
now, and away back at the begin
ming Of the war. He says there is
more courtesy among members of
the present day, they wear better
clothes, and there is less intemper-
ance. When he first came to Con.
gress there was scarcely a commit
tee room which had not full sup
ply of liquors. There was an album
dant supply of whiskey in the office
of the clerk of the House, and a reg.
ular bar was kept IN the basement
restaurants, while there was then
no such name as "cOld tean used
for whlskey straight. There was al
so more intemperanca on the floor OF
the House, and the drinking about
the clerks Office became so common
that John w. Forney, when he
wanted to be Secretary of the Sen
ate, had to make pledge to Vice.
President Williams and Charles
Sumner that no liquors would be
kept in his office, before they would
vote for him.
But as to oratory in Congress, the
venerable Pennsylvania does not
speak so hopefully. He thinks it is
on the decline. The business of
Congress has changed of late years,
and it is now done more by the con.
sultation of leading members, by
caucus. Speeches do not have much
influence on legislation now, and
this influence seems to grow less
from year to year.
The Senate has passed a bill to
appropriate from the Treasury $780,
600 for a monument to Abraham
Lincoln. Another has passed for a
monument to General Grant to cost
S250,000. 1t has been suggested
that this money would be spent in a
more appropriate way if put into a
memorial bridge across the Poto-
mac, to bear the names of these
good and great men. 1t is held that
the carrying out of such plan would
be climax to our great river i'm
provements, that are, one day, in
spite of log rolling River and Har-
Dor Committees, to be the pride of
the nation.
Ii our late ex-Presidents Lincoln
and Grant could be consulted in re-
gard to this matter, there is little
doubt as to what their decisions