Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-02-17
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondence of the Standard.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 1888.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 1888.
In their frantic efforts to manufac-
ture a little much needed political
capital this week, the desperate Re
publicans of the House unwittingly
fell into a snare, from which they
found it impossible to extricate them
selves. They introduced resolution
to investigate the business of Public
Printer Benedict. This official at
! once responded to the inquiry in a
manner that was perfectly convincing
and satisfactory.
1t had been alleged that he was in
arrears yet it was shown that every
bill introduced in either House or
Senate up to the day before had been
received from the Printer, and in the
document room was completely in
dexed for use and reference.
Then, upon motion of Mr.. Springer,
the investigation was extended SO as
to include the term of Mr.. Rounds,
(the late Republican printer), despite
the protest of the minority against in
vestigating the doings of dead man.
1t is probable that the fires of parti-
san strife will soon blaze fiercely forth
in the House over the White-Lowry
election contest from Indiana. The
Democratic majority of the Committee
on Elections have agreed to report,
recommending the unseating of
White, on the ground that he failed to
become naturalized within the time
specified by the law-he being native
of Scotland. The committee further
recommended that the seat be declared
vacant, as there was no legal election.
Should the Republicans lose the
seat, which is almost certain in the
event Of . new election, that party
would be unable to control the In
diana delegation, and thus would lose
their power to elect a President of the
United States, ifthe election should be
thrown upon the House. They have
but one majority of the vote by States
From such a standpoint, this contest
assumes national importance and will
be one of the great events of the ses-
sion.
Aspiring statesmen have showered
tariff bills to the number of three
hundred upon the Ways and Means
Committee. Still the astute member,
whose duty it is to present these
measures, will find little trouble in
separating the wheat from the chaff.
As yet the Louisiana delegation
have been unable to come to an agree
mept as to what shall be done with
sugar in the new tariff bill. This
anxiously awaited measure, by the
way, is being very carefully con-
sidered, and it is thought by those in
position to know most about its
character that 1t will pass the House
and be satisfactory to the country.
Although the proposition to reduce
letter postage to one cent had its fate
sealed for the time by an adverse
Senate report, the subject, like
Banquo's ghost, "will not down."
More penny postage bills are being
prepared and will be introduced and
voted upon again during this Con-
gress.
The Senate has again voted for the
opening of Congress on October 10Th,
and the closing Of the short session on
April l5, and also for changing In
auguration Day to April seth. Should
this pass the House, being Con-
stitutional amendment, it would still
need to be ratified by three-fourths OF
the State Legislature before it could
become u law.
In the House there is another bill
which provides that the Congress
shall open on the first Monday in
January, and the time for final
adjournment shall be at noon on the
31st OF December. This would
practically make u continuous session
for the tso years term. with only s,0h
recesses as the two Houses might
agree to. So it is impossible to know
just what the new law will finally be,
but there is little doubt that the ex-
isting order Of things with reference
to the official terms of the President,
Vice President, Senators and Repre-
sentatives will be changed by the
present Congress. Dem.
In eating fruit do not swallow the
seeds, however small they may be.
Andrew Wright, a merchant of New
YORK, died recently OF mysterious
disease, and an autopsy showed that
death was caused by the lodging of a
grape-seed in the appendix vermifor-
mis-, portion of the human system
about which the doctors know little,
and to relieve which, in such cases as
that OF Mr.. Wright, no method has
been discovered.
THE natives O. Africa have christ
ened the intoxicating liquor imported
from Bremen and Hamburg with the
appropriate name of Death. 1t is a
poisonous distillation from the potato,
and contains more fusil oil than any