The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-02-05
Washington Letter.
(rrom our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. list, 1886.

tFrom our regular correspondent
| WASHINGTON, Feb. list, 1886.
The weeks worl, in Congress can be
easily summarized. Both Houses devoted
one day to funeral orations. The Senate
| honored the memory of the late Vice Pres
| idcnt and the House that of the late Rep
resentativc Ellwood, of Illinois. The Sen
ate discussed Dakota's claims to State
| hood. and the House listened to an mm-
| portant debate on the subject of the al
| legged DETACHMENT of monuments in the
Norfolk Navy Yard, and passed fifty pen
| sion bills after listening to speech from
| Mr.. Crisp against eXtravagant pensions.
MIR. Crisp quoted statistics to show that if
| the proposed legislation in regard to pen
sions were to prevail the Treasury would
| be left bankrupt He said the people
whom he represented were willing to CON
tribute even of their poverty to whatever
was necessary for the grandeur, glory and
progress of the country. They were willing
to act in good faith and literally with the
soldiers, but he thought it was not right
to tax them farther than that He would
not he parsimonious, he would be just and
liberal, but he did think there ought to be
stopping place somewhere.
The issue between the President and
the Senate is the chief subject of discussion
in and about the Capitol. The issue was
Joined squarcly when the Administration
refused to furnish the papers bearing upon
the official character of a certain District
Attorney Of Southern Alabama. There
are many indications of bitter contest
over this matter, and unless remarkable
skill is exercised somewhere, a controversy
of thoroughly partisan character Will
develop The Administration has taken
the ground that the only supervision that
the Senate can exercise over removals from
Office is of a legislative character, and it
holds that the information now sought has
only to do with the personal fitness of in
cumbcnts. 1t claims also that the Senate
can only deal with the conduct of an Office
in open Legislative session. lthoids, there
fore, that the call for documents which
in the province of the Senate, sitting in
executive session, and the papers are, for
that reason, to be withheld. The Senate
has no direct way of forcing its demands
short of impeachment, but it can rctaliate
by refusing to confirm all nominations
until the President explains his reasons for
making changes. You remember we had
a deadlock of this kind during .Johnson's
Administration, which proved to be very
disagreeable episode.
| There was an interesting conference this
week in the room Of the Senate committee
on patents, the ITawly bill on lntcrna-
tional copyright being argued at length.
| There was notable assemblagc in the
room, authors, publishers, and printers being
present, and all parties interested were
heard but the printer and book-buying pub
lie. Mr.. Clemens Mark Twain. George
Ticknor Curtis, and James Russell Lowell,
ex-Unitcd States Minister to England,
were among those who discussed the merits
of the question before the committee The
latter made an extended argument for the
BILL telling what proprietary interest i'll
ideas meant, cite He said there was
feeling that books, like umbrellas, were
fera aatarp. Nobody supposed there
could be property in all idea, but there
was property i'll the fashion given to an
idea. The Constitution had already re-
cognized that in comforting the power to
grant patents. Patents were ideas fash
! toned i'll certain way. For instance, the
Bell Telephone was a case precisely par
allel with books, and there were a great
many people in this country interested in
tho Bell Telephone
! The first evening reception of the sea-
son at the White House was given to the
general public, and the parIors were as
deliberately decorated as if prepared for a
State dinner. Tie hours named were
from nine to eleven, but long before that
hour the crowd began to assemble ON the
portco and soon extended to the western
| gate. The stream of callers was contnll-
ons for two hours and without incident.
1t was strictly peoples reception.
Neither Diplomats, Congressman, nor
society people We're there. They prefer
attending card receptions, which are never
So crowded. There were very few evening
toilets among the visitors, almost all of
them being in street costume. As usual,
the President was cordial, and seemed to
enjoy seeing the folks, and shook hands
solicitously with every man, woman and
child WEsTeN.