Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1886-01-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.
tFrom our regular correspondent
MAsHINGroN, Jam. pa, 18s

WASHINGTON, Jan. IA, 1886.
While congress has done nothin
startling since it re-assembled, al
most everything that has occurred o
Capitol hill during the week has bee
fraught with interest and Importance
The senate has discussed and votel
against the Mormons, and incident
ally against woman suffrage. Step
were taken towards uverhaullng tn
street railways of Washington a
we'll as the L. S. pension Office, anC
the congressional record was embel
lished with considerable eloquenct
on silver coinage Senator Beck ex
onorated himself from his recent
alleged antagonism to the president
About 1000 new bills were intro.
duced in the mouse and the speaker
completed the organization of thai
body by formally announcing where
he has assigned his 325 men on his
forty-elght committees.
There is no more than the usual
amount of dissatisfaction among
members on account of their posi-
tions on the committees Indeed
think there was less complaint than
was expected, and the general ver-
dict of those who have lao personal
interests in the great questions with
which these committees are TO deal,
is, that Speaker Carlisle has arranged
them with wisdom and fairness.
There are so many new members
in the present house, that their as
signments had to be made somewhat
blindlY, as their special abilities had
not been tested. But the speaker
profited by his experience IN the
forty-eighth congress IN placing the
old members with view to their
qualifications. The more prominent
committees which have the most i'm
portant work to do are strong.
With each congress the task of Or
ganizing the house is becoming a more
delicate and burdensome one. The
question has been raised whether the
labor should any longer be thrown
upon one man.
Both branches of congress are
now ready for real work, any amount
of which is waiting for them. 1t is
thought the session will continue un-
til August. About 8 900 bills have
been presented in the house alone.
Among those that have been in
troduced in the senate is one de-
manding longer sessions of congress,
so that the country can have more
work for the same money. The ses-
sions ought to be continuous, with
only such short recesses as other
business men take from their labors.
The pay of congressman goes on
whether they are in session or not.
While it is very agreeable arrange
ment to them for congress to sit only
ten or eleven months out of the
public business suffers
from neglect.
The list of bills with which con-
gress is flooded furnishes undeniable
proof of American inventive genius.
No possible subject of legislation
has been slighted. Among them are
many old-timers that come up and
die out with ever new congress.
One bill asks that for the remainder
of her life the widow of General
Grant may correspond with her
friends and that her friends may cor
with her without paying
postage. The most popular measure
is one for the establishment of agri- |
cultural experience stations. Nearly
all the members from rural districts
have introduced it in one form or an
other. About dozen civil service
bills have been presented, and new
bill asks for the establishment of a
National university here. 1t pro-
vides instruction in the higher
branches of all departments Of
knowledge, with facilities for re-
search and investigation. Space for
bids me to give the full term of the
bill, but / will mention that the gov
ernment of the institution is to be
vested in board of regents con-
sisting of one member from each
state of the Union, to be appointed
by the governor. Each state and
territory shall,be entitled to scholar
ships in the ratio of one for each
representative or delegate and two
for each senator. The scholarships
shall secure free instruction for five
years.
The Republicans In both branches
of congress are after the pension Of
fee, and the senate has passed res
olution for an investigation of Its
management, past and present. The
complaint that Commissioner Black
does not treat them with sufficient
Difference when they call on husi-
ness, and then they have to do some
thing in retaliation against the recent
charges in Gen. Blacks annual re-
port, about the pension bureau hay-
ing been political machine, run by
Republican partisans.
-
The great industrial growth in the
Co,,th oannof ha Iooaeod IN &c ooo;