Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-04-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Written and compiled for the HERALD.
WASHINGTON. April %, 1888.

written ana compiled LOT tne uhhALD'
WASHINGTON, April %, 1888.
The tariff debate which was be.
gun in the House OF Representa-
tiyes last Tuesday seems to have
had the effect of putting the men,
bers of that body to work. They
have since then passed the Indian
and pension appropriation bills and
devoted one day to the cOnsidera-
ton of the river and harbOr BILL
Tomorrow the tariff debate is to
be resumed, and it will probably be
kept up with short intermissions
for at least two months. If the
Mills bill were to be voted on at
once it would probably DO defeated
by a very small majority, but what
will happen after two months of
"chinning" l am not prepared to
guess.
The Senate Is away ahead of the
House in the amount of work so tar
performed during the present SEES
sion. The Senate has passed S31
bills while the House has passed
only 1875.
Quite a number of Republican
Senators went TO New York 10 at
tend the funeral Ofex. Senator COnk-
ling.
AIr. Blaine's idea OF a Congress
of American Nations will be a fact
next year. The bill providing tor
it and instructing the President to
request the government of the re-
pubhcs of Mexico, OF Central and !
South America and Hayti and the !
Empire of Brazil to send represen-
tatives to a conference to meet in
this city in or near April 1889, has
been passed by both Houses of
Congress.
1t is stated here that the Presl
dent has fully decided to appoint |
Mr.. Phelps, of Vermont, our pres
ent Minister to England, Chief JUS
tlce of the United States, but that
the Irish-Americans having made |
such a vigorous protest against it,
he has promised not to make the |
appointment for the present.
The Fisheries treaty will be re-
lected. The Senate will spend a
portion of this week in discussing |
it behind closed doors, and its
formal rejection will probably take
place before the end of the week.
Hon. ID. b. Henderson of Iowa
during the debate in the House on
the pension appropriation bill, took
occasion to pay his respects to Com
missioner of Pensions Black and
his methods. Mr.. Henderson, in
speaking of the administration of
the Mexican Pension law by the
Pension Office, said $50 rapid is
the Pension Bureau in recognizing
claims under this law, that pensions
are allowed before even a claim is
put in, and certificates are issued
when the beneficiary did not know
he was a claimant" In proof of
this assertion, he sent to the clerks
desk, and had read an article in
Chicago paper to the effect that
the Commissioner of Pensions had
ordered a pension certificate sent
to Col. w. r. Morrison, nOtwith-
standing that he was informed that
Col. MorrisOn's name was not on
the list OF applicants. The certid'
cate was returned to the Chicago
pension agent by Col. Morrison,
accompanied by quite terse let
ter. Mr.. Henderson, continuing
his remarks, said "COmmIsslOner
Black stands convicted on Demo.
cratic authority of violating the
terms of the law, and simply lssu-
ing certificate to a Democratic
chief, who was to high and too
clean to become a party to the
transaction. This man, who enter
ed upon the discharge of his duties
with heaven erected face, like a
saint, is caught in Democratic
trap. He has got lower down in
for political influence (
than any bureau officer have ever
known"
The House has passed bills es-
tablishing a department OF labor =;
and providing for arbitration of
disputes between commentaries
and their employees.
A bill has been introduced in the
Senate to grant the widow Of Chief
Justice Waite a pension of $4,000
a war