Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-03-02
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.
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WASHINGTON, Feb. %.
1t has for some years been a standing COM
plant of the Senate that the House holds
back appropriation bills so as, near the end
of session, to prevent the Senate from Civ
ing them due consideration. Senator Black
burn who was member of the House COM
mttce on appropriations, recently submitted
an amendment to the Senate rules, so as to
prohibit the appropriations committee from
reporting back any appropriation bill-unless
it be an urgent de- iciency within less than ten
days after its reference to the committee In
other words, to bind the Senate committee so
that it must, under the rules, have time to
properly consider these bills. The Senate
Committee on Rules at meeting to-day,
amended Mr.. Black burns resolution so as to
make the time five days, and then adopted it.
There seems to be no question that the Senate
will adopt the new rule. 1t will be q virtual
notification to the House that no SINE die adj
journment can be agreed upon until the Sen
ate shall have had reasonable time to con-
slider appropriation bills
A report was circulated in the War De-
partment last week that Secretary Endicott
had received letter from clerk who re-
signed from the Adjutant Generals office
several months since stating the reason he
resigned was that he had been feeced by sew
eral clerks of that office who did IA brokerage
business, charging a usurious rate of interest,
namely. per cent month, or 60 per cent a
year. The letter contained the names of the
clerk brokers'" and, also, gave the names
of some of their customers. The writer said
he had paid one of them nearly the amount
he owed him. without decreasing the debt
any as it all went in interest, and that, as he
saw no prospect of getting out of their
clutches. and as nearly all of his salary went
to them in interest he resigned to start life
anew in New York. He closed the letter by
stating he wrote it to relieve, if possible, the
unfortunates who were now in their clutches,
and requesting that they be investigated. He
saws he is willing to substantiate his allega-
tons at any time.
1t is learned at the Navy Department that
not more than fifteen of the twenty five MEM
beers of the class of naval cadets which grad
yates in June next will receive commissions
in the navy There are now less than ten
vacancies. including the two or three that
depend upon the action of the President in
pending urt-martial cases. and considering
prospective and unforeseen casualties il is not
expected that the number above mentioned
will be exceeded. The appointments will be
altogether in the line, as the Marine Corps
has already more second lieutenants than the
law contemplates and the number of assistant
engineers exceeds by fifteen the authorized
quota,
The person who goes into charitable work
in Washington gets an admission ticket with
reserved seat to some very interesting per-
formances. Such good Samaritans are in
clined to think after lengthy experience,
that the best actors never appear on any
stage The ingenuity. the persevering effort,
and the rare talent that are displayed by
some of the objects of charity" would make
their success assured if they should adopt the
dramatic profession, but probably it wouldn't
be as lucrative if pursued in the regular way
upon the boards as it is in private life.
Perhaps all are not so fortunate in encoun-
tering the stars" of this of-the-s stage acting
as a lady who was recently approached by a
woman who sought assistance to pay the
funeral expenses of her husband. This was
nothing new the mortality among the rela-
tives of these people is appalling The lady
having a real desire TO help the needy. had
long ceased the careless giving that costs little
trouble to the giver and usually does as little
good to the recipient. She told the woman
that she would come to her house, and if her
necessities were real she would assist her.
Accordingly she got some of the other good
ladies of her acquaintance interested in the
case. and two or three of them went to the
address given by the applicant. She was
there in deep grief and apparently abjeet
poverty. and. after some little conversation
asked the visitors if they would look at the
remains" In the next room was the body
of a man. duly laid out, with pennies on his
eyelids, and evidently as much in preparation
for the grave as his poor afflicted wife had
been able to muster. There was no resisting
this 81 ght. and the visitors gave the woman
substantial donation toward her husbands
funeral, and departed with the gratifying
sense of charity worthily bestowed. Unfor
tunately after walking little way one of the
ladies missed her umbrella she had left it at
the house. How can people be so forgetful?
She returned for it in haste, opened the door
herself as she had been absent but moment,
aud saw through the door into the next room,
carelessly left open, the late corpse sitting up
counting the money she and her friends had
just left. LESox.