News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-11-25
FROM WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, d. O.,
Nov. 16, 1886.


Although the approaching session
of Congress will be short, there are
indications that it will be an active
and busy one. Many Senators and
Representatives have arrived during
the week, and some of them have
gone to work in their committee rooms,
while others are getting ready for
business. Indeed there is suffi-
Gent number of Senators here for
session of the Upper House, and it's
the intention of several Chairmen of
Senate committees to call special
meetings before Congress opens.
Senators Sherman, Morrill,, Ed
munds and others may be seen at the
Capitol every day now, busy at work,
if one will take the trouble to walk
around and glance into their commit
tee rooms. Many of the Capitol en-
ployes, too, have returned from their
vacations, and are gradually assum-
ing their accustomed duties. Both
wings of the Capitol are rapidly pro-.
crossing in the work of renovation,
and the carpets, seats and desks are
being laid and placed in position in
the Senate chamber and hall of the
House.
The President is at presnt behind
barred doors preparing his annual
message. In order to find time for
this duty, he was compelled to slam
the door in the face of visitors and
office seekers, but now he is in even
more serious trouble, for his right
hand man has been called away to
the bedside of his aged father, and it
is possible that the Colonel may be
detained some time. In that event
the President might be compelled,
through lack of time and assistance,
to cut his message short, for which
Congress would be grateful. 1t would
also stand a chance, unlike his pom
derous document of last December, of
being read through by some people.
Mr.. Cleveland has not been in a
good humor for the past few days.
Some prominent politicians from New
York have been to see him, and he
heard some very plain talk about his
civil service policy. When he last
appeared in the East Room to shake
hands with his callers, the expression
on his face plainly indicated an an
noyed state of mind. He couldn't
smile, and was not cordial, and the
people went away with a feeling that
the ceremony was decidedly farcial.
Although the President has ordered
that his country home be called coax
View" instead of cred Top" it is
not certain that he has more influence
as christener than a knight of the
quill. cred Top" because the roof
of the house was painted red, was the
name started by one of those disre-
spectful newspaper men whom Mr..
Cleveland would like to obliter-
ate, for "desecrating his domestic
privacy" OF course no administra-
ton people will hereafter speak of this
country place as ''Red Top" to the
end of the chapter.
The apathy over the result of the
elections is such as has scarcely been
witnessed here since the war ended.
Democrats are disguised with the adj
ministration, and although hundreds
of Virginians and Marylanders resid-
ing here are legal voters in those
States, very few went home to vote,
although free passes were provided
for those who would accept them.
When a Virginia Democrat speak
ing of the Republican victory in his
State, says, 81 am glad of it," he
must be deeply demoralized. And
yet many of them say it. AS to the
Republican officials and government
employees here, they are very much
pleased with the result, but do not
dare to enthuse over it to any marked
extent, for fear of being dismissed for
"pernicious activity" or ''ofensive
craftsmanship"
A few evenings ago, when Repre-
sentative Barbour, of Virginia, ar
rived at Washington on his return
from Europe, where he had been
spending the Congressional vacation,
the Virginia association gave him a
rafting welcome with drums, music,
procession, etc. In his speech, Mr..
Barbour attributed the late Democrat
ic reverses in his State to the Mug
wump policy of the administration.
Senator Gibson and Hon. John Goode
were present, the one an ardent adj
ministration man and the other just
the contrary. 1t was amusing to
those in the secret to see how these
gentlemen lodged the issue SO as not
to have two Democratic speeches on
the same occasion conflict with each
other. C. A. S.
P. 7. Barnum, the Snowman, who
knows a humbug when he sees it,
says that he has been a total abstain