Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1886-01-01
Our Washington Letter.
MAsuINGrcN. Dec. y,

w .tSHINGTCN. Dec. ~.
The holiday season ut the Capital can
truthtully be quoted dull Many con
gressmeM are out of town some at home,
some away to New Orleans OH IL free
ride. while Others are watching their
chances for warm places on the commit .
tees. which the speaker is NOW organic |
ing. but which will not be announced !
till congress reconvenes. There have
been no notable festival occasion to stir
the currents of society. Tile President
ate his turkey quietly, with Miss Clevc !
land anda few near friends: the cabinet
officers WHO remain. gave no note uf
theil presence outside of tlleirown DOM
ciles. Secretary Whitney made war OH
the delcacies OF the season at New
York. and Secretary Lunar reconstruct
ed hs interior department with Guif
oysters and red s,lappers. at his quiet
homo in Mississippi: Garland. the grutf
Arkansas bachelor. poured. lazlly. over
the musly love of law, quite indifferent.
dS lt' lS. lO lllt Sillllt-S iNill NdilllltS VI
society. whie attl rtlom. OF other causes,
confined other heads % departments to
their own tirrsi,les. Upon the whole.
Washington to-day presents much the
appearance of IA good, pomS Sabbath
observing city. and is neither newsy nor
hilarious
Ihe fact that the eminent 'mug-
wump." Henry Ward Beecher, has just
oalled OH the Pr> sident, and spent sey
eral hours c)oseted with hun, gave rise
to much speculation us to what purpose
the distinguished divine had in view. or
whnt friend he may have been logging
for. 1t is we'll known that between the
two there is IL close bond of sympathy,
bnt all apprehensions are qnieted to-day,
by the announcement that the visit was
of a purely private nature.
The only exciting political topic of the
week has been Senator Beck S severe
onslaught upon the financial policy of
the administration. in his speech last
Monday OH the occasion of offering his
resolution that the committee on fl
nance be instructed to inquire whether
the laws requiring the coin paid for du-
! ties to he devoted to liquidating the i'll
telest and principal of the public debt,
snow are. or have heretofore been obey
ed: and if not. to report by bill, OF 9TH
erWise, such measures as will secure
their enforcement" Mr., Beck speech
arrested the attention of the entire sen
ate, and at it's close the speaker was
warmly congratulated by many mem
bers of both sides. While many re-
publican members from the South and
West are i'm full sympathy with the sen
timents of the speech. and especially it's
defense of the silver coin. none were
dlspleased at it's square and open vari-
ance with the present administration.
1t is looked upon as the beginning of an
open fight and division between the
silver men and the non-metalists, and
no one can predict the end or ex-
tent of the rupture. Certain it is that
the end is not yet, and that either the
, President and his secretary, Manning,
or the silver men. will be compelled to
crawtis!l. 1t is IL growing belief that
the failure to call bonds and pay off ac
cruing interest with the surplus, is at
tributab,e to some power behind the
throne. and men like Beck want to
know who OF what 1t is. 1t is a remark
able fact that the astute lawyer, Evarts,
from the very shadow of Wall Street,
exclaimed, after listening to the Ken
tucky senator's arrai2nment of the
treasury officials and his arguments in
favor of silver, Beck is right-his argu-
ments cannot be refuted. l intend to
speak on the same line"
Over one thousand bills flooded the
house on last call, and only eleven states
were reached, and four thousand are ex-
pected on the first call for the session.
Those already i'm include many new pen-
sion bills for benefit of veterans of the
Mexican and Indian wars-the latter in
tie Indian wars of l8l1l7-2S-35-42;;
nearly 400 separate bills to penson indi
viduals now excluded; 500 private. war
claims; bills for public buildings; 10
bills relating to the public lands, mostly
to forfeit, elaborate measures to regE-
late interstate commerce; relating
to the silver question. one for free and
unlimited coinage-Senator Teller's:
in addition. 100 bills have been entered
in the senate. where 1000 nominations
are held for conformation, and the good