Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-02-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THE MONITOR
Washington, jan. 25th.

ioH, ana now TO pension WlooWo,
orphans, and people generally, are
some of the questions which the leg
islative toilers on capitol bill have
grappled during the week.
The president of the senate, Mr..
Sherman, opened the discussion on
the electoral vote. His speciality is
finance The was Mr.. Hayes secretary
of the treasury and he is disposed
to be as arbitrary in his province as
Senator Beck on the tariff or Senator
Edmunds on law. In this instance
however, he entered the arena of de-
bate as lawyer, assuming the role
of eXpounder of the constitution,
which is favorite vanity with many
senators.
He said he did not wish to inflct
speech on the senate as to the pend
ing bill, but he thought no time was
better for its consideration than now,
when no great political question was
before the country. He felt that the
matter involved point more danger
Gus to the future of this country
than probably any other. To be
brief, Mr.. Sherman proposed that
where the two branches of congress
cannot agree on any question affect
ing the count, they shall meet and
vote In joint convention. This plan
received the endorsement of Senator
Evarts, whose familiarity with the
question of the electoral count is
very we'll known. Mr.. Sherman's
speech was vigorously combated by
| Senator Edmunds, who went to the
congressional library during it's de-
| livery and came back with u stack of
law books.
Nor was Senator Hoar willing to
take his law on the counting of the
electoral vote from Mr.. Hayes cabi-
net ministers. He even went so far
as to compare them to Mr.. Pickwick.
That philosopher, observed Judge
Hoar, told Mr.. Tupman, when en-
tering town where there was mob
to shout with the mob; and in case
there were two mobs, to shout with
the biggest. This, he thought, de-
scribed the principle of Mr.. Sher-
mans joint convention of the houses.
Each of the senators who participate
ed in this discussion has a personal
interest in it, and hopes to have the
next electoral vote counted in his
own favor.
In regard to the threatened rup-
ture between the president and re-
publican senators, [ can only state
their attitude to each other has not
changed in the past few days. A
resolution calling upon the president
to furnish information and give rea'
sons for removing certain officials.
Mr.. Edmunds has announced, will
be offered in open session. Unit
then there will be no further actor
on the part of the president.
The republican party managers
are anxious to extort answers from
the president in particular cases wher,
offensive partisanship is the assumed
ground of removal. They want tt
hold him to his theory of assumed
civil service reform, and to make tn,
most Of their opportunity to haras
: HIM with it. Many of them hav
grievances in the shape of particula
friends and supporters who hav
= been displaced under the new regime
= A republican Senator remarked to
: day, however, that it was to thei
interest to avoid, if possible, an,
controversy with the executive. ''W
. would appear at disadvantage" b
= said, "and the president would hav
the popular support, for the senat
! is not a popular body, and it neve
has BEEN
There is never dearth of conven
tions in Washington. Some sort o
organization is always in session
here. During the week we have ha,
the Mississippi valley, who came t
urge upon congress the improvement
:, of Western water ways. Then tn
National board of trade has held
session here. and silver men hav
held meeting. The latter too
the position that silver is goo
j, enough currency for the majority o
of people, that it is the poor people
money, and that gold is the bankers
One Of their speakers. Mr.. Baldwi
from Connecticut, said "a membe
. of congress who votes against silve
sounds his own death knell." Th
Mississippi River convention talke
J, freely of their hopes and projects
> and of the large appropriations the
expect to get from congress. TIL
national hoard of trade Endorsed Sen
ator Cullom's Inter- state commerc
bill, reaffirmed its action of last yea
in regard to foreign discriminate
. against American pork, adopted res
: olutions urging the passage of law
creating department of commerce
aud provided method Of settlln
: electoral disputes like that of 1876
:. besides discussing number of othe
important questions.
One of the most disastrous contia
grations which Burlington has ex
perenced for many years occurre