The Portland daily press., 1886-04-12
FROM WASHINGTON
What Will be the Political Complexion
of the Next House.
Democratic Congressman Dsspond-
ent and Republicans Hopeful.
Senators and Representatives Dis
tributing Their Allowances of Seeds.
important Petitions Presented by
Congressman Miiliken.
rspecial to the Press. !


WASHINGTON, April 1o.-The political character
of the next House of Representatives is a matter
which is causing considerable comment among
members of both political parties here. fhe com
paratively small majority now held by the Demo-
Gratis in that body, requiring change of only
twenty-one votes to make it Republican, and the
still narrower margin by which several OF those
now holding seats on that side, in several cases
less than 100 out of a total of several thousand,
is sufficient to give rise to considerable apprenen
sion on the part of the Democrats, and consdera
BILE hope and confidence on the part OF the RepuD-
licans that the next Congress will see House
and Senate in the control of the same political
party, and that party the Republican. The recent
elections in the West which have shown decided
gains for the Republicans, in one county in lndi-
ana a Democratic majority of 1900 being
changed to Republican majority of 5000, are
considered as straws which indicate quite
strongly which way the wind is blowing. Al
though the Democrats all attempt to explain away
these losses of theirs in Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois as due simply TO local causes and local
apathy among their followers, it is nevertheless
manifest that they are uneasy over the prospect
Those who prophesied little over a year ago
that the Republican party had received its death
blow, and would never again be a potent factor in
out that party which ruled this great country so
wisely and well for twenty-five years, is not cast
down by single defeat
The statement is made that the silver men in
Congress, who have just been sat down upon with
such positiveness in the House, are preparing
document to be used in influencing the coming
Congressional campaigns, and which has been en-
dorsed by a large number of Democrats, which
reterates their position in favor of free coinage
and denounces the action of the administration as
being in eollusion with the interests of capitalists
HOW Congressional Seeds Are Dis
tribured.
The allowance Of seed of each Senator and
Representative consists of 5000 paper packages
of vegetable seed, 500 of flower seed, 300 of to-
bacco, 20 quarts of sorghum, 20 of corn, so OF
grass, % of sugar beet and 80 of cotton seed. 1t
is not as has been falsely stated, unlimited. AL
though this seems to be an immense amount of
seed, yet when it is considered that each ones
allowance must be distributed among several
thousand constituents, it will be seen that it is
hardly enough to go around. Probably there
are very few of the congressman who at this time
have any of their allowance remaining. 1t has
been frequently the case in the past that the
quality of the seed furnished by the government
has been rather the reverse of first class Indeed
ARIlCuibuIdl Dcpdl tllIoHb SCCoo AdNC uCCh ldoioA
a byword among.jolers. But this can no longer
be done. All seeds now sent out by the Agricul-
tural Department are tested before they are ac-
cepted by the government, and when sent out are
warranted to germinate if properly planted and
tended
A Parade of Veterans.
Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
organization of the District of Columbia Volun-
teers of 1861. They were organized in that
year for the defense of the capital, before the
call of President Lincoln for $4,000 men. They
celebrated the event today by a grand pa
rade of the veterans, together with the Grand
Army and all the local military organizations of
the District, with the Marine Band
MIR. Nlilliken Presents important Pc
titionS.
Mr.. Milliken has presented petitions of masters
and mates of sailing vessels of Brooksville Jones'
port, Castine Isesboro, sullivan and Machias
port to be licensed as pilots; also of citizens of
Waldo and Somerset counties for the passage of
scientific temperance bill.
Personal.
W. H. Milliken and wife of Portland, L. ID.
Haley Of Gardiner, 7. Scammon and Miss E. B
Scammon of Saco and Mrs A. Williams of Bid
deford are here.