Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-07-09
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.

DIIuai IcceptlOnS ut the White
House are things of the past, ant
the Presidential bridegroom is aoair
defending the pubic trnanrv Il,
vetolnS pension bills. IT. III.
twonty-four veto messages just SEA.
70 Congress, he vigorously rebuke.
the legislators for extravagant, i'll
considered and bungling legislation
In some cases the President saws the
proposed beneliciaries are manifest,
nnentitled to Government aid: il
others they do not require much aid
III others the evidence is insufficient
and the passage of the bills careless
Some of the Senators looked sur
prised when the President Informed
them that they have passed GOO pri
va.e pension bills since last Decem.
Der, a record which has not been
equaled by any Congress in twenty
years.
Unexpectedly tho House found it.
self plunged in tariff debate of the
warmest character, on Tuesday last
The galleries filled up rapidly rs the
discussion proceeded, and many
Senators left the dull routine Of their
chamber to hear the battle of words.
Ihorc was weeping and wailing and
Gnashing of teeth among the Ropub-
ilcans, over the proposition to raise
the amount of money necessary to
pay additional pensions to Union
soldiers and sailors by imposing a
graduated tax on incomes. This is
denounced rs scheme to check tho
granting of additional pensions.
The new administration has had
much to 10 in the way Of setting the
governmental house in order. Tho
Republicans did not, as is the GUS
tom of conscientious, departing ten
ants, leave their place Of abode in q
condition fit for the newcomers to
inhabit. And perhaps the most
striking evidence of the necessity for
tho Strengthening out Of things was
furnished by the Navy Department.
It's mismanagoment had become
proverbial, and despite all the mil
lions that had been expended Oh it,
the naval armament was ridicu!ously
ineffective. The party in retirement,
which is responsible for this, is now
asking sarcastically, " Where is that
Navy?' The debate on the Navy
bill furnished the friends of the
Dotl'hn another opportunity to de-
fend the record of John Roach.
Representative Galf of " est Virginia,
who, you may remember, was for
two months Secretary of the Navy
under Hayes, made an attack upon
Secretary Whitney for rejecting the
Dolphin. Ho said he would rather
spend an eternity with John Roach,
under these circumstances amid the
wreck of lifetime and the destruc-
ton of fortune, than an hour with
the young reformer in his gilded
palace at tho other end of the
Avenue. The Republicans applaud
ed this nonsense, and McAdoo of
New Jersey, arose to say that Secre.
tary Whitney needed no defense.
He had an overwhelming popular
decision in his favor; that the case
Was closed and no passionate appeal
to the sensibilities of the people for
John Roach could make them forget
that the facts had been demonstrated
to be against him and in favor of the
present Secretary of the Navy. Mr..
McAdoo then proceeded to dwell
upon the necessity of building up a
Navy, and declared that if this Con-
gress failed to take steps in this di-
rection, it would be derelict in its
duty to the country.
There has been much criticism OF
the delay that has occurred in the
construction of the four new ships
authorized by the last Congress. A
clear understanding of the practical
situation is probably all the answer
needed to that class of complaint.
When Mr.. Whitney took charge of
tho Navy Department, he took it as
he found it. There were defects in
its organization, and lack in practi-
cal experience in modern shipbuild-
ing crippled the efficiency of some of
the Bureaux in dealing with the
problems presented by the new work
il hand. A Department which has
built a modern ship could not jump
at one bound into successful comra-
tition with the English and French
Admiralty, who were the authors and
architects of the new system.
The Secretary, who is naturally
inclined to the extreme of caution,
found himself charged with the con.
struction of four new ships, to cost
ever SO, 100000. And he incurred
this responsibility at particular
point in q transition era, when the
problems of type, design, armament
and equipment were at their most
crucial stage, Realizing that it