The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-03-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

now instead of business. The discuss.
ion between the Senate and the Ad-
ministration, forced by the Republican
caucus resolutions on official papers,
begins to-day. An exciting debate is ex-
pected, and the Senate galleries will be
crowded so long as the fight lasts.
When the discussion is fairly under
way, Senator Morgan will complicate
matters by calling up his own independ-
ent resolutions to the effect that the
Who'll eproceeding is out of order The
Edmunds' resolutions should not have
been received. The only legal proceed
ure for the Judiciary Committee was
to have summoned Attorney General
Garland before the bar of the Senate,
and to have impeached this alleged
violator of law, who refuses to give up
his private papers.
a number of Republican Senators
do not follow Mr.. Edmunds' lead in
this matter with much zeal. 1t is
pretty we'll understood that the Yer
mont statesman made this much ado
about nothing because there was not
much to do about anything and he was
under the necessity of impressing' the
Vermont Republicans with his great
ness and lndispensability. The Yer
mont legislature, which elects a L. ).
Senator to fill the seat now occupied
by this would be chieftain, is to be
chosen next fall Until then Mr.. Ed
munds may be expected to be as often
sively prominent in the Senate as pos
sible. He wants to stay in Washing
ton, where he has Just built superb
residence, and he has reason to fear the
Green Mountain boys are arranging
his retirement to private life when his
present term expires.
The House of Representatives, this
week, does not offer such attractions to
visitors as the Senate. Nothing but
silver may be heard from it for some
time The financial debate begins
there regularly tomorrow. Ten days
have been set apart for the subject and
sixty Members have prepared speeches
on it. AT the close of this discussion
the House will refuse 20 suspend the
silver coinage by an overwhelming
vote, and that is all that this forth
coming eloquence will accomplish.
If all this time and talk could be Civ
en- to an issue that promised results, it
would be well enough, but it is agreed
all around that this debate will lead to
nothing in the way of legislation and
that not a single vote will be changed
by the talk.
The Telephone affair has taken a
party turn in the House. The Han
cock and Pulitzer resolutions of in
curry into the Pan-Electric has been
met by another set of resolutions under
Democratic management, asking for a
broader and more thorough investiga-
ton of newspapers as well as officials.
Congressman Gibson, of West Vir-
gia, opposed the investigation on the
ground that there was nothing to ;nves-
tigate inasmuch as no charge had been
made against Attorney General Gar
land or other officials who are alleged
to be implicated. "Why," said he.
"what will the committee report
Will they report that the gentleman
got stock without paying for it? Who
will say that was wrong? | see men
all around me who hold railroad stock
and national bank stock voting with
the stock in their pockets, and no out
cry is made against it.
Mr.. Gibson also attacked Represen-
tative Pulitzer, of the n. Y. World,
who, he said, instead of making CON-
plant against the Attorney General in
an open, manly way like Representa-
tive should have done, had retreated
behind the irresponsible columns of his
newspaper to create scandal. Mr..
Gibson conceded that the idea was to
turn the rascals out from talking.
Mr.. Reed, of Maine, who tries to be
witty every day, said something about
appreciating the feeling of solemnity
that had recently fallen on the Democratic
party, and gave it assurances of his
respectful consideration in its present
situation. The Democrats laughed at
this as we'll as the Republicans, and
Mr.. Morrison replied that the gentle
man was mistaken in supposing that
the Demo, ra'ic party was in any trouble.
"We propose to investigate charges
against our own people," said Mr..
Morrison, "as well as those against
yours, and we trust if we find them
guilty, we will not be found, as the
Republicans have been found, attempt
ing to shield them.
Miss Cleveland gave another large
luncheon on Saturday afternoon TO the
wives of fifty Senators and Represen-
tatives. She has at last solved a pro-
blem which had been unsuccessfully
dealt with by each Presidential family
since the time of Andrew johnson.
That President accomplished the feat
of inviting to dinner each Senator and
each Representative and his wife at
least once during the two years OF
each Congress. But since then Con
gress has grown to be body of such
formidable proportion in numbers that
each President has fallen shorter and
shorter of getting all around even il
two seasons. Miss Cleveland began &
series of lunch parties at which sht
hopes to entertain all the wives OF
Senators and Representatives while th'
| prae;dapt will dino only their hus