The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-01-29
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular correspondent ]

! lfIOm OuT INeBulaI OoIreSpOnutnl.l
WAsuiSGTos. ID. c., Jan. 25, 1886.
Skirmishing between the President
and the Republican Senators; lively
debates in the lower branch of Con
gress; notable speeches in the Senate
Convention in behalf of the Missis
sippi river; and another by the Nation
al Board of Trade are features of tn,
week at the Capital.
The controversy between the Presi
dent and the majority in the Senate
has reached au interesting point, and
there is prospect of political debate
in that end of the Capital this week
The Republicans of the Senate de.
termined long since to make as much
trouble for the President and his party
as they could. They will take every
advantage within their reach to per-
plex and annoy the Administration.
They assume this course to be a poit-
ical duty, and their leaders, Edmunds,
Hoar, Morrill,, Sherman and others are
thoroughly trained In all the arts of
obstruction and legislative chicanery.
They were drilling for this onslaught
on the persons and policy composing
the Administration.
Senator Edmunds proposes to begin
the fight by offering his resolution
calling upon the President to furnish
Information regarding the cases Of re-
moval of federal officials and his reasons
for the same. The Democratic Sena-
tors are united and harmonious and
will support Mr.. Cleveland. They are
getting ready for the discussion by
holding caucuses and the Republicans
are doing likewise.
There is no more bitter partisan in
the Senate than chieftain Edmunds,
of Vermont He is the arch enemy of
the Democratic party, and be shaped
this little game while protesting great
admiration for the Presidents good in.
tentions and an a0xious desire for uis
success. He took pains to call at the
White House at the time of Vice Presi
dent Hendricks death and affected
good will towards Mr.. Cleveland by
urging him not to attend the funeral
at Indianapolis. Mr. Edmunds be-
lieves more in strategy than in violence,
and he has laid his plan for entrapping
the President very artfully. He would
like above all things to convict Mr..
Cleveland of inconsistency as a Civil
Service Reformer and to trip the Ad-
ministration.
President Cleveland's future course
in the matter cannot be outlined. He
has expressed his willingness to fur
nish the Senate with all the papers on
file in the Departments bearing upon
his appointments, and such documents
have been sent. But whether or not
he will agree TO Mr. Edmuuds' propos.
ed demand remains to be seen. He
may be relied upon for knowing his
rights under the Constitution, and
also the application of the Civil Ten
ure law to his appointments. He is
not ap: to be discourteous to the Re
publican majority in the Senate, but
he is apt to maintain the authority OF
! the Executive. The Senate NAV re.
sent any refusal to furnish reasons fol
suspension or removal, but it can only
reject nominations, or lay them over
indefinitely.
The Senate has again been debating
the old Electoral Court problem. Sen,
ator Sherman went at length into the
issues involved, opposing all other
plans and offering one of his own, tc
the effect that if the two Houses disa-
gree, they shall meet in joint conven-
tion and elect a President. Other
Presidential candidates besides the
willy Senator from Ohio, discussed how
the next vote for the Electoral Col
lege should be counted. These were
Evarts, Mr.. Hayes Secretary of State
and Edmunds and Hoar, either OF
whom is reckoned as an eligible New
England candidate if the other one
can be gotten out of the way. Foul
other Presidential aspirants sat in a
group, silent but alert listeners, turning
occasionally to neighbor and whisp
ering with the emphasis of a clencheG
fist. These were Hawley, Harrison
Allison, and Cullom. The subject evi
deDtly had personal interest for each
although Logan has said recently thai
no man can 60 from the Senate to the
White House nowaday,
The House has been discussing Pen
sions among other things. Nearly all
the old pension projects of the Forty
Eighth Congress have been introduced
in this, while there are some new ones
which outdo in extravaganza anything
hitherto proposed. There was warm
debate on the bill increasing widows
pensions from So to Sl2. Represen
tative Reagan, of Texas opposed it
Said he 81 do not expect to defeat
the bill, nor any Pension bill brought
up here, no matter how great an out
rage it may be upon common sense
and common right. But in the name
OF my constituents and the tax payer,
of this country, protest aginst the in
discriminate giving IF pensions to all
men and all women who ask for them
The purpose of those who bring for
ward these bills is not to benefit the
men or women in question. Thei
motive is to buy the soldiers vote, anC
to make the tax payers of the country
pay Tor their political supremacy,