The Portland daily press., 1886-02-05
FROM WASHINGTON.
Two Months of the Present Session
of Congress Wasted.
The Proposition to Consider Nom
nations Openly.
United States ConsuIs Must Not
Receive DecoratIens.
A Maine Man Who Will Retain His
Office.
The DingIey Shipping Bill Passed by
the House.
Especial to the PRESS.

| Especial TO the PRESS.l
| WASHINGTON. Feb. 1.-Two months o.
the present Congress have already passed
and the third one has well begun, and yet
with the exception of the Presidential sue
| cession bill, nothing has been done by eithel
branch. The Senate spends hours daily in
cut and dried speeches, on all kinds of sub
| jects, but accomplishes nothing. The House
spends its time in personal explanations,
tiresome roll calls and likewise accomplishes
nothing. Not an appropriation bill has been
reported or even prepared, nothing has been
done in the way of building up the navy,
strengthening the coast defences, revising
the tariff, or improving the currency. Ii the
present course is to be pursued much longer
the XLIXth Congress had better adjourn
as their proceedings thus far have been moth
ing but waste of public time and money.
The Secret Session Question.
The question of considering the nomina-
tions of the President in open session is oc-
cupying the attention of the Senate just
now, and quite number of Senators have
been found to favor it. Senator Platt of
Connecticut introduced a resolution in favor
of open sessions last week, which was re-
ferred to the committee on rules. A meeting
of the committee to consider the resolution
has been called for Saturday morning at 10
o'clock, and, while the sentiment in favor Of
less secrecy is growing stronger daily, there
is little doubt but the report of the commit
tee viii be unfavorable to the passage of the
resolution.
As far as any secrecy is concerned the ses-
slons might just as well be held openly, for
the morning papers Invariably have full re-
ports of the whole so-called secret proceed
ings, and the Senators themselves acknowl-
edge the reports to be in the main true At
the session on Tuesday the question OF how
these things leak out was discussed, and the
sergeant-at- was sent round to
the different gallery doors to see if it was
possible to hear what was going on inside,
and strict orders were given to the door
keepers, especially the one at the press gal
lery door, to keep all persons away from the
doors during executive session. 1t is no
mystery how these things get out, however.
for it is invariably some Senator who
'leaks."
1t is generally done unintentionally, and
often unconsciously, but it is safe to say that
no one but the Senators themselves are to
blame for their secret session being made
public.
Decorations for American Citizens.
Some little excitement was raised in the
Senate the other day by the talk on bill
to permit the United States consul at War
saw, Russia, to accept certain decorations
from the Russian government. The consul
is a Russian, subject, and not an American
citizen. The bill was introduced by Senator
Morgan of Alabama, who said that the man
lost caste in society by his inability to wear
the decorations. Senators Edmunds, Logan
and ingalls, opposed the bill
Mr.. Logan aroused applause from the gal
follows: 'sLet the decoration of the Ameri-
can citizen be his daily walk and his de-
meanor towards his fellow-men. That is the
only decoration that an American citizen
should, in my opinion, wear
MIR. HadIey TO Remain.
Mr.. Amos Hadley of Maine, who in De-
cember resigned his position as chief Of the
stationery department of the Interior De-
partment, has been requested by the Secre-
tary to retain his Office, and has consented to
do so. He is thoroughly acquainted with
every detail of the business of his depart
ment, and it was found impossible to find
any one to adequately fill it.
The Dingiey Shipping Bill.
After some debate the shipping bill was
passed by the House today. It is practically
the same as reported by Mr. Dingley.
Probabilities of Dakota's Admission.
A vote will be reached in the Senate on
Dakota's admission Friday and the bill will
undoubtedly pass.
Personal.
S. G. Andrews, Esq, of Portland, and A.
+. Crockett and son of Maine are here.
Concerning Pension Agent Anderson.
Boston, Feb. ga Washington special to
the Boston Journal says that no objections
are heard to the confirmation of John D.
Anderson as pension agent Of Maine. The
only points that have been made against
him here have been that he has relative in
office, in the person of Collector S. j. Ander-
son, and that another relative, resident in
distant State, holds a small consulate in
Canada. But the President appointed Mr.
Anderson largely on his record as soldie,
and although it was suggested to him Har
there were other persons by the nae VI
Anderson in the public service, he 4u nov
think the objection of sufficient weSnt' AS
Mr.. Anderson is appointed to fill Vacanoy
he will not have to run the gafntiet ol
controversy on suspension.
Work of the Committees
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-Tle house ~ ,oynrt cont
mttee ON judiciary today agIeciH, i,dic;ai IL 1 dis
favorably bill to divide tlSt gguioial oi'-
trict of California into two disIlrooo +odoy
The House comntteeSn cqIi9ioe hii ~, +bo souy an
agreed to report favopeoly PHI dor ahe ,;st ap-
p0intment Of a comrl1sslon OF three 70 WISH
Mexico the Genial American States ana
Rrazii ,lii for the rdrpose of investigating the
METHODS in those countries for the protec-
ton of the. people against yellow fever.
Minor Matters.
The Senate committee ON public lands
gave hearing yesterday to the correspond
ents of Chicago and New York papers VINO
recently telegraphed their papers interviews
had with Surveyor General Dement, OF Utah
in relation to land frauds in that Territory,
and which interviews were afterwards pro-
nounced false by Dement,. The correspond
ents all testified that the statements III their
dispatches were made upon Dement'S au-
thority.