Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1886-04-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
washington, March ., 1856.

Washington Aarcn rs 1880.
The political fight between the Pres.
ident and the Senate is about to close,
and every body is glad. No questions
will be asked by non-partisans at least,
as to which side backed down. If both
sides will only unite now and get to
work at the business Of the session.
The whole affair has been a dreary
sQuabble over q matter that was of
small consequence 70 the people. Sen
atOrs COlquitt of Georgia and Ingalls OF
Kansas viii speak to-day and then II
no other Senator signifies his desire TO
be heard on the subject Senator Ed
munds viii ask for vote on his resolu-
ton that the senate shall not confirm
until the papers are supplied.
The contest for open sessions OF the
Senate is not dead but only sleeping
The question has been over-shadowed
by preparation for the discussion be
tween the President aud Senate. It
will yet come up TO debate. There Is
prevailing opinion that the Senate
possesses too much power. 1t Is the
least democratic of our inshtu-
tons. Senators not coming directly
from the people, are not truly repre-
sentative with reference to population,
and being elected for terms Of SIX years,
they have less regard for their cOnstltu-
ents' wishes than the members OF the
lower House. They have special pow
ers of confirming nominations, making
treaties, and impeaching high officers
of the Government. They have a max
i'm. of power and a minimum of account
ability and # IS felt that this is stu
alton not TO be intensified by secret
sessions.
Senator Jackson, Of Tennessee, said
his only objection to open sessions was
that an open discussion would take
more time than a secret one. Senators
would be speaking TO the galleries all
the time. They would feel the necessi-
ty of explaining their votes to their con-
siituents. This he thought, would be
particularly the case where Senators
from one state took opposite sides Of q
question.
The Democrats do not complain that
Mr.. Cleveland has not made a sufficient
number of removals. They cOnecde
that he has been pretty active in this
direction. Their complaint is that he
has not made party appointments. 1t
is claimed that he has pretty generally
ignored the party leaders in making his
selections and has named men whom
no one ever heard Of. He has raked
obscurity to fill the Federal vacancies.
Therefore. 1t is said, there is no pos
sibility of his denomination by his party.
He has chosen to ignore the men who
rule conventions and they mean to ig-
more him the first time an opportunity
offers. Meanwhile, however he will
have the experience Of being President
in the fullest sens Of the word during
his term. And who can say that this
position IS not really the most indePen-
dent one.
The bill to abolish the extravagant
practice Of having Congressional Com
mittees accompany the remains of de-
ceased Senators and Representative to
their place Of burial meets general
approval.
In many instances these funeral ex-
cursiOns are productive Of incidents
anything but respectful to the dead.
No Congressman who has ever served
on one would be willing to have his
own demise celebrated by a junketing
trip. A Congressional Committee once
took the remains of an Ohio member
to that state. The widow was on the
funeral train, and the escOrting commit
teemen became so noisy and hilarious
that the lady was constrained to send
request to them to please be quiet. A
Senator who was recently very sick here
said to his wife, If die, you and the
children take me home, but don't let
them send any COMMITTEES along"
1t is probable that the next President
of the United States will be inaugura-
ted on the 3Oth of April instead Of the
fourth of March. The proposed amend
ment to the Constitution relative to
Inauguration day, was first suggested
by Robert G. Winthrop. Te-suggested
by HOratiO King, and introduced in the
Senate by MIR. ingalls,. 1t is a popular
proposition.
Mr.. Winthrop expresses himself en-
phaticallY about the Educational bill
that is having such a hard time in the
House committee. He says it is the
prime necessity of our country. We
can better do without internal improve
ments'' or even ''armies or naVies''
than without education" for the mass
es. To leave the Southern States with
out the means Of educating the 'sfrsed-
men, is unjust to them and injurious
to the whole country. 1t is fearful to
think of those millions of voters is such
a state of ignorance, and the evil is
growing less manageable year by year.
Education and elective fraucelse should
have gone together, We have lost
more than twenty years. The Congress
which pOstpOnes all remedy still longer
will have incurred a tremendous re-
spOnsibility-