Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-07-23
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondent.

Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, July, 9, 1896.
THE. President has voted twenty
more bogus pension bills-making
ninety-eight in all. This shows
what he was doing on Monday even
ing when he declined to remain on
the south portico of the White House
and look at the fire works in honor OF
the Fourth. The President is enhanc-
ing his reputation for business and
honesty every time he vetoes one OF
these bills to promote mendicancy, and
every honest soldier will approve his
course and think better of him
Veterans do not relish Senator Saw
yer's way of classifying them with
impostors and frauds.
This Senator from Wisconsin
practically has charge of the pension
business in the Senate and he is re,
markable from the fact that of all the
private pension schemes that have
been rushed through his hands, dur.
ing the present session, he had never
reported adversely upon a single one
In his boundless sympathy (shall
call itO with the old soldiers, their
sisters and their cousins and their
aunts, he has been eager to grant
all the pension claims that came in
his way. And it is in the following
manner that pension bills are passed
i'll the Senate
That body refers them to the Com
mittee on pensions, the Committee
refers them to Mr.. Sawyer, and Mr.
Sawyer distributes them among GER
tain assistants whom he pays out OF
his own pocket to investigate and re-
port. Mr.. Sawyer is especially proud
of one of his assistants. He relates
that this highly qualified substitute
used to be medical gentleman oi
promise out West and came into pro.
minence as an expert in the case oi
Gniteau.
This is how pension bills are scruti.
nized in the Senate. In the majority
of cases they are not investigated by
even one Senator. On the adjudica.
ton of this Guiteau expert, they are
favorably reported to the Senate, and
then rushed through without debate
at the rate of from three to five pei
minute, as for instance, when nearly
500 were passed in two or three hours
on April 2lst And this is the Sawyer
Pension Machine at Washington OF
which you read. But you may ask
" How do so many pension schemes
get through the House of Representa-
tives ~ Well it is in this wise. A
night session will be set aside for the
consideration of such measures. and il
will be attended by not over twenty or
thirty members. No man attends
these meetings unless he has in charge
a cart load of bills of this kind. 1t is
regular log-rolling process, each man
voting for the other mems bills in or.
der to have the favor returned, and
the measures pass through combina.
ton of twenty-five or thirty mem
bers.
The bill recently introduced by Sen.
ator Edmunds extending the power Of
the President in the matter of appoint.
ments, so that many of his appoint.
ments would not be subject to confirm.
alton by the Senate, naturally caused
some surprise at the first thought
But while freeing the President from
Senatorial checks in the appointment
of large body of public servants, i,
takes from him the power of removal
or suspension. The appointees would
stay in Office four years, or until i'm
peached for misconduct before Judi
cial tribunal. In other words, while
throwing sop to the President, Mr.
Edmunds would at the same time cur
tail his prerogatives. His proposed
legislation will not fail to receive close
scrutiny, however, and be treated ac.
cording to its merits. The Democrats
have ample reason to look with suspi
cion upon any measure from the Yer
mont Senator, no matter how plausible
its face may seem to be.
President Cleveland's matrimonial
relations have in no way lessened his
industry. He continues to work until
night unless something unusual pre-
vents. The only changes noticed in
his habits since the wedding are that
he starts to drive an hour earlier in the
afternoon than formerly, that Mrs
| Cleveland is his companion instead OF
his faithful Secretary, and that he goes
in the direction of his country home
almost invariably.
The President continues his tri
weekly handshakings, and Mrs. Cleve
land holds bi-weekly card receptions
Any one presenting a card, however
is received. The latter are the only
social events going on now in the city
The new lady is very gracious and af
fable, and her beauty and natural girl