Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-05-12
From our regular correspondent. ]

One day last week the House 1illibustered
away into the small hours of the night. 1t
was over bill to pay bounties to soldiers |
mastering out to join the regular army. 1t |
was the occasion of some very sensible and
plain talk from Mr.. Hewitt, Of N. Y, on
the necessity in calling halt in the squan-
dering of the public money in payment of
bounties, pensions, &c. He said in effect |
that there was class of bills which it was
considered unpatriotic for Northern mem
bers and disloyal for Southern members to
oppose. That the South was constrained
by that feeling of delicacy to either vote for
them or not to vote against them. Mil
lions every year were appropriated in this
way in many cases without due considera
ton of the justice of the claims. 1t is time
there was some check put upon the lavish
expenditure of money not only in this but
in many other cases. Men forget how the
money comes and where it comes from. Il
They forget that every dollar raised by
revenue and from customs, almost the only
sources of the Governments supply, comes
from the hard earnings of the people. 1t
comes out of their pockets either directly
OF indirectly and is just as much tax as
that laid upon their property and annually
collected by your County Treasurers. Up
on every thing you eat, drink or wear, there
is a tax Yet men talk glibly about getting
all we can out of the Government, in PEN
sions and school bills, sc. A leading argu-
ment in favor of the $77,000,9 800 Blair
School Bill down our way is to "get as much
out of the yankees for schools as possible, p"
and the man who does not favor that policy
is politically damned. But it is not getting
it out of the yankees. 1t is getting it out of
our own pockets mainly. If it could be
remembered that all the millions collected
each year to run the Government and pay
its enormous appropriations come in one
way and another from the hard earned pit
lance of the day laborer as well as from the
rich capitalist there would be stricter &C.
count of it's expenditure.
There is bill reported favorably in the
Senate for change in the Inauguration
Day of the President from the 4th of March
to the 30th Of April. The present time is
usually the most inclement and disagree
able season of the year, though Ceveland's
inauguration day was an exception. The
| 30th of April would not only obviate the
cold weather, but it would show the city of
Washington in its beauty to the strangers
| who flock here on such occasions. Anoth-
err thing, it would prolong the short session
of Congress two months. congressman are
paid by the year, and there is no reason
why they should not stay and do the work
for whichthey are elected.
| Mr.. Tucker reported adversely a bill to
give women suffrage. Every session the
Female Suffragists are here appealing for
an amendment of the constitution to entitle
distant either when the women will be en-
franchised. The machine when it gets
started must run clear down to the foot of
| tho hill hnfOra If p9p ha StOpppd
The air is still thick with the gossip over
the expected Cleveland's marriage. The
various and contradictory phases of it are
really amusing. One account says, the old
fellow was too bashful to propose himself
and got his sister, who is a little inclined
towards the 'sstropg- minded," to sspop the
question: for him. Another rumor says,
it is not the daughter at all, but the mother
of Miss Folsom, that is the lucky one The
latest report is that Miss frankie is to mar
rya Mr. Bennett, of Buffalo, N. Y, and
that it is for that event she is preparing,
and letter is published in which the
President writes to her suggesting the kind
of outfit she ought to buy even to the kind
and color of her stockings. Tell the Au-
gusta girls there is still chance for some
of them yet to be mistress of the White
| Honse.
Virginia has gone very decidedly "wtt."
A Local Optionist would say Washington
was in the same condition. | see the last
application for liquor-license here this week
was the S00th. That is less than 200 in
habitants for each bar-room. The House
has passed the River and Harbor bill. This
is alweys big log-rolling concern. Every
member has a harbor, river, or creek, or
mud ditch for which he wants an appropria-
| ton. And he gets it, too under the log