The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-07-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
lFr lm our Regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, July 10th, lSSg.
When tn; Forty-nInth Congress con-
vened, the knowing ones predicted that
il would not do any serious harm except
to the party in power. IL was to be a
lively session and an enjoyable one to
the Republicans. The country was told
it might look for eight months of talking
with very little work. These prophesies
have been fulfilled literally. People Of
ten ask "why is it that Congress accomp:
fishes so lttle?" The disagreements i'm
the Democratic family have, of course,
been the chief source of the trouble of
late.
There is scarcely any question of pub
lie policy over which the party has not
split into discordant factions and become
actively belligerent on slight provoca-
ton throughout the entire session. The
tariff, evil service reform and silver are
the principal grounds upon which they
cannot meet without battle and
there are many others.
But aside from this. there are other
reasons why Congress accomplishes 50
little work. An enormous amount OF
private legislation is asked of il, and
lfltu It's BIthl SlLt anu tIlC ubScutC VI
any personal responsibility on the part
of members should be taken into con-
sideration. With body composed of
four hundred members, it Is difficult for
the average member To feel any sense of
personal responsibility; especially when
he finds disposition to oppose the mea-
sures that he may attempt To put into
practical operation.
With mere than 10000 bills pressing
and every member scramEllng for his
own pet measure, and trying to knock
everybody else out, so that he can have
Il chance himself, there is little show for
ANYBODY. More bills have been intro
duced i'm Congress during the present
session than were ever introduced dur
ing both sessions of any other Congress,
and more bills have passed tins session
than ever before in one session, but most
of them have been of Il private character.
None of the important public measures,
have become laws. The Educational
bill, the bankruptcy bill. the increase OF
the navy, the tariff, the silver question,
the mormon question, oleomargarine,
ing for final action and are likely TO
wait. They cannot be considered this
session, and us for next session, there
is so little of it, that what could not be
accomplished in eight months, is not
likely To be comprised in three.
As the river and harbor bill approach
es Il vote i'm the Senate considerable in
terest is manifested in its fate. Senator
Miller of New York favored the bill as
il came from the House. lie did not
think the surplus money in the treasury
could be better used than In the manner
proposed i'm this bill. Congress was not
going To increase the army or the navy
or To make large expenditures for coast
defenses. The money appropriated IN
this bill would be paid for labOr-would
be put into circulation. He mentioned
the threat of an executive veto if the
bill sWelled beyond a certain point. Mr..
Miller did not care to discuss that
danger. He was here to do his duty az
he understood it. Congress had been III
session over seven months and had done
nothing to start afresh the wheels of
commerce, To set in motion the mills
that were now standing Idle. The labor
troubles would cease when labor was
employed at remunerative prices. He
thought Congress ought to make an APP
preparation for rivers and harbOrs OF
not less than twenty-five or thirty mil
lion dollars. He expected that SHOUT
III JoD Hho ofeh
terms would be poured upon the Senate,
but they had no effect upon him.
The extraordinary order issued by
President Cleveland to all heads of gov
ernments, warming them and their sub
ordinates against emph sizing them
selves rs Offensive partisans" during
the coming campaign, was the chlei
topic of conversation at the Capitol on
Thursday, and great diversity ofopinlons
were expressed i'm regard to such a
policy. The administration is best on
making great sensational show of re-
form, though of course nothing is eX-
pected to come of these new departures.
The new rulers have various new meth
ods of perpetrating fraud, and many
dark ways that are gradually coming to
light.
The Republican government employees
here are losing their places rapidly
enough now To satisfy the most rampant
Democrats. Thirty were dismissed from
the Patent Office yesterday, one hundred
are 10 90 from the Treasury, and the
Commissioner of Pensions is doing the
best he knows how for the spOilsmen.
The number of Democrats who have
gotten i'm under the civil service law
during the past six months, Is astOnish-
ing. Out of seventy-five appointments
made by Gen. Black to positions in the
pension office, seventy-twO were Demo-
Gratis. AS General Higgins would say,
that il II pretty fair average.