The Press., 1886-07-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Washington D. C., July 16, 1888.
 People often ask, ''Why k it that con-, gress accomplishes so little ?''e The disa- agreements in the democratic family have, of course, been the chief source of the trouble of late.
 There IS scarcely any question of public policy over which the party has not split into discordant factions and become net lively belligerent on slight provocation throughout the entire session The tariff, civil service reform and silver are the principal giounds upon which they cannot meetwithout battle, and there are lnauy others.
 But aside from this there are other req sons why congress accomplishes Bo little work. An enormous amount of private Legislation Is asked of it, and then its great size and the absence of any personnl re sponsibIlity on the part of members should be taken into consideration. With body composed of four hundred members, it IS difficult for the average member to feel any sense of personal responsibility :; ea pecially when he finds a disposition tu uOp- pose the measures that he may attempt 10 put into practical operation
 With more than 10, GOO bills pressing, and every member scrambling for his owI pet measure, and trying to knock every body else out, so that he can have chance himself, there is little show for anybody. More bills have been introduced in con- gress during the present session than were ever introduced during both sessions of any other congress, and more bills have passed this session than ever before in one session, but most ( f them have been of a private character. None of the important public measures have become laws. The educational bill, the bankruptcy bill, the increase of the navy, the tariff, the silver question, the mormon question, oleomar- garne, and several other such matters are waiting for final action and are likely to wait. They cannot be considered this session, and as for next ses sion, there is so little of it, that what could not be accom- plished in eight months is not likely to be compassed ill three.
 As the river and harbor bill approaches vote in the senate considerable interest Is manifested ill it's fate. Senator Miller of New York favored the bfl as it came from the house. He did not think the surplus money in the treasury could be better ust than ill the manner proposed in this bill. Congress was not going to increase the army or the navy or to make large expenditures for coast defenses. The money appropriated in this bill would be paid for labor-would be put into cilcula- tion. He mentioned the threat of an exec utiVe veto if the bill swelled beyond a cer- tain point MT. Miller did not care to discuss that danger. He was here to do his duty as he understood 1t. Congress had been in session over seven months and had done nothing to start afresh the wheels f commerce, to set in motion the mills that were now standing idle. The labor troubles would cease when labor was employed at remunerative prices. He thought congress ought to make an appro- priation for rivers and harbors of not less than twenty-five or thirty million dollars. He expected that 8 shout of ''job" and 'logrolling" and other such terms would be poured upon the senate, but they had no effect upon him.
 The order issued by President Cleve- land to all heads of governments, warning them and their subordinates against em- phasizing themselves as offensive parti. sans'' during the coming campaign, was the chief topic of conversation at the capi- tol on Thursday and great diversity of opinions were expressed in regard to such policy.
 The republican government employees here are losing their places rapidly enough now to satisfy most democrats. Thirty were dismissed from the patent office yes terday, one hundred are to go from the treasury, and the commissioner of pensions is dolng the best he knows how for the spoilsmen The number of democrats who have gotten in under the civil service law during the past six months, is aston ishing Out of seventy-fve appointments made by Gen. Black to positions in the pension office, seventy-two were demo crats. As General Higgins would say, that IS a pretty fair average. '.5s