Smyrna times., 1888-09-19
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Sent. IN. Is

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18th, 1888.
The record of the Fiftieth Congress
is prolific Of big figures. On Septem-
ber 5, the session closed its ninth
month, having already exceeded in
length by three or four weeks any or
dinary session. In fact, there have
been but eight long sessions since the
formation of the government. During
the nine months, there were introduced
in the House II 1868 bills and Joint reso-
lutions, over 900 more than were in
troduced in the long session of the last
Congress. In the Senate, the sum
reached 3,627, against 3,447 during the
former session mentioned. The major
ity of the bills on the House calendar
are of private character, the private
calendar including over 1000 such
measures.
There have been referred to the
House Committee on Invalid Pensions
4,3S8 private pension bills. The Com
mitt6e has succeeded in reporting l 1862
ofthese, 237 being reported adversely.
In the last Congress the total number
of this class of bills introduced was
4,l57. Nine election contests have oc-
CURED, and the Committee on Elections
has disposed of all but two of these
The FeltOn-Sullivan contest, from Cal
ltornia, and the fight between perennial
Bob Smalls and Elliott, of South Caro-
lima, are still dragging their slow lengths
along. In the cases reported. the sit
ting members-those bearing official
certificates of electiOn-retain their
seats. The committee will probably
recommend the unseating of FELTON,. a
very grievOus blow to that little gentle
man, as he dearly loves legislative life.
The next regular session will cover
| exactly three months, commencing
December 4th and ending March 4th -:
but leaving out the regular holiday ad-
| jOurnment, the session will include
! only nine weeks. FOrtificatiOns. tor
pedO boats and dynamite cruisers will
occupy the attention of that session,
providing these mOOted subjects can
ever catch the eye of the speaker" "
But it is very possible that the navy
will be shut out in the cold, and that
the next session will be devoted entire
ly to the tariff. If the time is not sulii-
cient for that laudable debate, an extra
session will probably be called, no mat
ter who is elected The political
necessity for long-winded speeches
however, will have vanished fol a
while with the November election, and
there will be a possibility of quicker
work and less talk in the short session
if the committees are organized early
enough.
There was little row between Mr.
SnOwden, Of Pennsylvania, and Mr.
GrOsVenOr, of Ohio, on Friday. Mr.
SnOwden offered a resolution revokine
all leaves of absence. except those on
account of sickness. An attempt to gC
into a Committee of the Whole havine
developed the fact that there was nc
quorum, Mr.. GrosvenOr said that nc
man had right to criticize the iudg
ment of men who were disinclined tc
60 through a wilderness of forty dav!
and forty nights of divel over the Mil.
bill. The Ohio member had it ou
with Mr.. Snowden on this line, anC
Taulbee, rather an indiscreet youns
man, gained nothing by interference.
Ofcourse, a majority of the dear alb
sent are looking after their fences, {
laudable occupation at any time anC
especially essential just at this crisis
Of the three hundred and TWENTY-FIVE
Congressional districts not over two
thirds have yet placed their Congress
sional tickets in the field. The della,
IN these cases is due to the request o
the present representatives seeking re
nomination, made in hope that the ad
jOurnment would be earlier. Hope be
ing deferred, these representatives hav
at last given their friends orders to q
ahead, and in another week the last O
the nomination will have been made
New York and New Jersey are excep
tiOnally behind hand. Maryland is tn
only state that has completed nomiua
tiOns, and they were finished two week
ago. An unusual number of Republi
can candidates have been nominated i
the South, the tariff forming peaceful
issue and eliminating for the nonce tn
race question from politics.
The requests of the Tennessee an
Kentucky boards of health for an i'm
mediate and radical change in the ad
ministration of the Hospital Marin
; Service meets hearty sympathy anon
congressman. Yellow fever is moi
/ N-Nt+f~AAi q BOAANiOlA lSSuCs du
, both parties condemn the criminal tar
diness of the Hopital Marine Service
which has exhibited entire and utte
inability not only to cope with yellow
fever, but to get where yellow fever i:
1.-THE Government" said a Georgi
Congressman, has always found itsel
unable to act quickly in great publ
emergencies, during this and ever
other administration. Relief only &c
to the Mississippi sufferers after nearl
! all who had been made destitute ha
! died. Private donations are pourin
into Jacksonville, and the Red Cros
society had its nurses in the field i
twenty-four hours after the society
services were requested. But, facin
the onward march of the most appalin
scourge that ever decimated a stat,
I the Hospital Marine Service sits dow
|. and twirls its thumbs. The admins
I tration of the bureau is childish an
I Needless"