Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1886-04-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, April 20, 1886.

before Congress, weekly meetings
have been held here, at which repre-
sentative business men of this city
and Baltimore have spoken. The
Monumental city is not jealous Of
Washington in having the Worlds
fair, but on the contrary feels thai
the Capital is the most fitting plact
for it, and has pledged her loyal sup
port in making it successful.
Those who will be instrumental in
materializing the project guarantee
that the proposed Exposition shall
not degenerate into merely loca
scheme, as the New Orleans Exposi
ton is alleged to have done. Being
left in the hands of the Governments
of the nations represented, it is
promised that it shall be an entirely
International affair. 1t is held that
the Exhibition will solve the great
mercantile questions Of the age, viz,
a market for our over-production, by
showing the manufactures of the
! United States to South American
countries.
The record of the week in Con.
gress is almost too meagre to notice
Appropriation bills in the House OF
Representatives,, and in the Senate
the secret sessions debate, the fish
cries question and Interstate Com.
merce have consumed the time with
no legislative body.
The Forty Ninth Congress is slow
ly but surely drifting towards fail
ure. Four and a half months of the
session have already passed, and
practically nothing has been accom-.
plished. The outlook for the new
tariff bill is defeat. About twenty
five adverse votes from the Demo.
cratic side of the House with tue Re
publican opposition that may be
counted upon, would do the deed,
while clear sighted students of the
situation predict that nearly forty
Democrats will vote against it.
1t is thought the debate will begin
about the first of May, and that it
will run for several weeks unless the
bill is killed with amendments
at the outset, as will be attempted.
In case of no such accident, however,
we will have another long seige OF
tariff for revenue only" since there
are over fifty names already on the
Speakers list for speeches on this bill.
The Congressional Railroad Strike
Committee, which is to investigate
the cause of the great strike, sum.
moned Messrs. Gould and Powderly
to this city. They will be examined
on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
and Friday next. Messrs. Powderly
and Mcdowell representing the
Knights of Labor will first be heard,
and then Jay Gould and Hopkins
representing the railroad company
The committee is anxious to secure
all the correspondence passing be-
tween these gentlemen in relation to
the strikes. They seem disposed to
make the investigation thorough
and impartial. On next Sunday the
Committee will start for st. Louis.
and after taking such testimony as
is deemed material at that point.
they expect to divide into sub-com.
mittees, one proceeding to Atchison,
Kan, and the other to Forth Worth.
Texas.
At notable gathering in this city
of the friends of the labor move
ment, at which certain Senators and
Representatives made sympathetic
speeches, Congressman Tarsney, OF
Michigan, was heard. He did not
approve of this Western bound COM
mlttee to investigate the troubles.
but called it waste of public money.
Said he: $50 long as the statute
books are encountered with legisla-
ton for the few, strikes will be the
order of the day.
So much has been said about the
Presidents bride and his approach.
ing marriage in June that the people
are becoming used to it, and begin
Mug to believe in the truth of the
report. II he should marry, Mr..
Cleveland will be the first President
since Tyler to take a wife during his
Administration, and there will be an
immense amount of gossip and pub
lie interest in the event. Although
Miss Folsom has reached the sober
years of twenty three, she will be a
youthful bride for the President,
when it is remembered that he is
more than twice as old as she. But
what has that got to do with the
case? Senator Beck said once In a
speech in the United State Chamber
that the older man got, the young
er he wanted his wife to be. He did
not even except the gray haired,
bald headed Senators around him,
but said all men were alike in this
rospoot