Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1886-02-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Fro n our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Jan. %, 1886,

dent and the Senate, is now LII
progress, and there are prospects for
more serious fighting all along the
line. Dir. Cleveland instructed his
Cabinet officers to furnish the infor-
nation asked by the Republican
Senators in regard to the removal,
suspension, and appointment Of GER
tain federal officials. The papers on
file in these cases were sent to the
Senate. Senators did not find In
them satisfactory information; they
have called for more. and say it can
and must come. The Senate has
been speech-making ON silver again
this week. The President has made
a law of the recently passed president
ial succession bill by giving it his
signature, and the House Of Repre-
s~entatives has been blessed with the
addition Of six hundred more new
bills. There are now aboutfve thous-
and measures awaiting the consider
of this slow-moving body, which has,
as yet, disposed of but one important
measure; the succession bill mention
ed above. At this rate it is easy to
predict what will be the fate of the
most of them.
One of the, reforms that has been
proposed in Congress this session is
in regard to eulogies. 1t was submit
ted by a New York member, Mr..
Beach, and it asks that the eulogies
or memorial services over deceased
Senators and Representatives shall be
delivered on Sundays. Whenever a
death is formally announced in either
end of the Capitol, that branch of
Congress of which the deceased was a
member Immediately adjourns, even
if the body has been in session but
five minutes. That is one day lost,
and then another day is lost when the
memorial services + ordered.
Sometimes these memorial days come
towards the close of a session, when
there is a rush of work; and time can
i'll be spared.
Some have suggested that this obit-
uary eloquence had better be voted
''out of order at all times, and others
have expressed the opinion that it
should be relegated to the Christmas
vacation OF to the long summer AGA
ton, when Members might show their
respect in a marked way by coming
together il a special session solely for
eulogistic purposes. If Congress
set a good example in this respect the
Departments might next drop their
pernicious custom Of shutting down
on public business, and setting all
their clerks at liberty, whenever some
forgotten parsonage, who was head Of
the Department half a century before,
happened to die. But even if they
should not the reform proposed in
Congress would be a great gain Of
time, and wouldhelp to solve the prob
lem how Congress is to perform the
sworn duty Of members, specially i'm
posed by an article in the Constitution
!" to legislate in all cases whatsoever"
The special memorial services Of the
present session will be over General
Grant and the late Vice President
Hendricks, and will probably take
place in March.
The annual preparation for scatter
ing seeds over the country may be
witnessed now at Agricultural Depart
ment. In the seed division all day
long, heads and hands are busy doing
out to the Senators and Representa-
tives the usual gratuity of this pater-
nal Government to Agriculture.
This doing up and labelling of seeds,
always a large business, is unusually
so this year, and expert packers and
filters complain of overwork.
But the seeds must be ready for
congressman to distribute. How
would they like to face their constit-
uents if the latter had been deprived
of their expected onion and potatoe
germs? One Congressman did de-
cline this proFered b%enefaction of the
Government last year, but his con-
stituency was not agricultural.
Most of them are pleased at the
prospect of sending out nor seeds
than ever before. Each Congressman
is to get $500 packages of vegetable
seed and 500 packages Of flower seed,
in addition to field seed-wheat, corn,
oats and other grains. This is 1,500
more packages than they have %receiv-
ed other years, although there are
seventeen more Congressman than
heretofore. Your correspondent does
not charge the Agricultural Depart
ment any thing for this advertise
ment. If any of you fail to get your
seed, you will know who to blame for
it.
Speaking of packages reminds me