The Bozeman weekly chronicle., 1888-02-15
A. K.'YERKES, Publisher.
WASHINGTON NOTES.

The present week in congress began
with a shower of petitions, memorials
and bills pouring upon the clerks desk,
in each end of the Capitol. In the SEN
ate thers were presented large NUM-
Der of petitions in favor of prohibition
in the District of Columbia, and national
inquiry as to the liquor traffic.
~
The District prohibition prayers were
presented by Senators Ingalls,, Plumb,
Vest, Quay, Cameron, Sawyer, Farwell
and Plstt Those presented by Mr..
Plat were signed by residents of Wash
ington; while the others were from Kan
sas, Missouri, Pennsylvania. Illinois,
and Wisconsin.
A bill was introduced this week to r.
gulate the liquor traffic in the District,
which provides that wholesale licenses
shall cost $500 and retail licenses $1,000
per anpun. And there Was another in.
troduced providing for temperance
home to be erected in Washington for
soldiers, sailors and civilians.
~
A gathering which filled the BijDu
theatre few evinings since was hilhly
gratifying to the friends of the temper
ance cause in this city. The people had
assembled to hear Bishops Keane of
Richmond and Ireland of Texas discuss
the temperance question. That the
gathering was practically of one mind
was shown at the close of the meeting,
when, with the exception of about two
dozen, every one pledged himself to
abstain hom liquor for one year The
speakers argued that the man who sells
liquor is an active party to all the
crime, misery and suffering produced by
it. The evil needed to be handled with
force that would be used to put down
rebellion.
1t is now thought there is little doubt
that the Senate Committee to which the
bill for prohibition in this District has
been referred, Will make a favorable re-
port on the same. Not that the majority
of the committee really for prohibition
but 1t is being so earnestly agitatcl at
this time that the majority deem it ad-
visahle to give the Senate an opportunity
to act upon the question.
W.
The penny ros.age scheme has jus
met with rebuff from the Senate com
mite on post offices. The chairman
Senator Sawyer-statcd that it was not
thought prudent 10 attempt to reduce
postage at present, The post office de.
partment was Still running behind, and
; it was thought hettcr to wait until it was
self-snstaining before any further rcduc
tion was attempted Senator JIuar
wanted to have put on recorl, his belief
that it was the duty of the government
and the interest of the people to have
pastage reduced to one cent. He beliey-
ed the department would rapidly become
self sustaining at that rate; but even if
not, the direct benefit in binding the
country closer together would more than
compensate for any deficit.
W.
Senator Beck, of Kentucky, wlln in
trodnctd the bill, said he could not un.
dersland how the Government could
afford to carry bonnets and harness and
merchandise all over the county for a
cent an ounce and not be able TO carry
the peoples information at the same
rate.
~
Senator Platt, of Connecticut, here en-
tered his protest against postage beng
considered with reference to the ques-
tion whether or not the postoflire de-
partnient was self supporting. The peo-
pie wanted the best and cheapest DC cstal
service they could get, and did not in
sist that the department should ba self
supporting.
~
There is good prospect now that the
existing order of things with reference
to the time for the meeting ami closing
of Congress and the Inauguration of the
president will be quite turned round.
The senate agreed by unanimous vote
to the Constitutional amendment chang
ing the term of The president and the
present congress, so that they shall con-
tinue until the 3oth day of April 1880,
and that Senators who terms would
otherwise expire on March 4th 1880,
shall continue until April 30lh, following,
and thereafter the 3Oth, of April shall ha
substituted for the 4th, of March as in
aueuration day, as well as the ccm,
mencement and termination of the Of
fetal term of Senators and Representa-.
tives in Congress.