Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1886-08-06
R0SEBURG REVIEW
FRIDAY. AUGUST s, 1886.
W4sHINGTov LETTER.
WAsHlNaToS. July 10. lss

esAs@NA~tss Sess = ~ -
Congress is lingering long this sum-
mer. Tkose who know best fix the
date Of adjournment as the 10th of
August. But it is understood that
there viii be no agreement as to a fixed
time Of adjournment until the actual
day, the reason of this being that when
a resolution declaring certain day for
adjournment is agreed to in advance,
the last six days Of the session are made
suspension of-rule days. At such times
some of the worst sjobs7 ever known
in the history Of Congress have been
passed. The .jobs' are anxiously
awaiting this harvest time. Every
job that has been knocking at the
door of Congress this session has
fastened its hope upon this annual pc
Rod when the unlocking of the Treas
ury vaults is declared.
Messrs Randall and Morrison are
credited with this plan to prevent
"jobsp getting through in the hurry of
the last days of the session. II they
succeed, think Of the disappointments
and blasted hopes that viii fall at the
heels of the Forty-Ninth Congress.
Even should this session be marked in
no other way than with defense of
the National Treasury, it would have
an honored place in the nations his
tory.
But there are other ways in which
the present session is remarkable. If
the House itself has not completed oil
the legislation that was hoped for, the
committees have done more work by
far than the committees of any pre-
vioug House. They have considered
and reported to the House over 800
bills, during this first session. In both
sessions Of the Forty-eighth Congress,
only 1906 bills were thus acted on.
The food of bills that has been poured
upon the present Congress is also un-
precedented, over 10000 having been
introduced into the House alone.
After repeated attempts and failures
the House has succeeded IN passing
one little private pension bill over the
Presidents veto. Speaking Of adj
journment, it is probable that the last
days of the session will be involved
in a heated political debate at the
Senate end Of tue Capitol. The SEN
ate is expected to pass resolution for
the printing of Presidential veto mes
sages from the organization Of Con-
gress to the present day. They viii
probably be in the hands of Senators
within week. This is the prelude to
a fight.
Referring to the prospects for ad-
iournment, Representative Bland, the
silver man of Missouri, declared that
the Senate was moving even more
slowly than the House in furnishing
prospective "yeto MATERIAL for as
such he characterized the River and
Harbor BILL The length Of time the
Senate consumed in pottering oy er
this measure made him think the Sen
ate seemed more anxious for the grab
than the House. "Now," continued
he, s'if the President sees fit to veto the
measure, no power can prevail upon
Congress to pass the bill over his op.
position" Representative Hatch, also
of Missouri, and one Of Oleomalga-
rine's bittcrest foes, has said that he
strained his conscience in voting for
the River and Harbor bill when it
first passed the House, and that he
viii not do it second time.
Congress has voted to reduce the
mileage Of army officers from eight
cents to four cents a mile. That is
about twice what it costs them to
travel. But tho allowance of Con-
gressmen is still twenty cents mile,
the same as in the stage coach era.
The clamer ION what basis Of right or
reason Is this7' has failed, so far, in
impressing Congress with the necessity
of doing something for itself in this
respect. For short distances, twenty
cents mile does not amount to much
but on long distances, it counts up to
almost criminal extravaganza.
Take, for instance, the trip to the
Pacific slope. The entire expense both
ways for one person need not exceed
$500, including the best Of everything.
Yet the Government allows a Con-
gresham Sis2Vu and upwards, anu
thus he is allowed to make from 5000
to $1,000 on two weeks run. The
New York members are allowed $40
each to come here and go home from
Washington, and the Chicago Con-
gressmen get s170 each way, and
travel on passes.
The gayest legislator at the Capital,
if asked to present bin for his per
sonal expenses, when not travelling
officially, would not dare to run the
figures up to the present legal allow
ance. If he should, it would be likely
to cost him his seat in Congress as soon
as the people of his district learned the