Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-02-21
WASHINGTON LETTER,


WASHINGTON, Feb. l3tb, 1850.
The present week in Congress be-
gan with shower of petitions, menu
orials, and bills pouring upon the
clerks desk, in each end of the Capt.
tol. la the Senate there were pre-
scnted large number of petitions Ill
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, Saw
yer Farwell aud Plat. Those pre-
seuted by Mr.. Plat were signed by
residents of Washington; while the
others were from Kansas, Missouri,
Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wiscon-
| sin.
A bill was introduced this week to
regulate the liquor traffic in the Dis
trict, which provides that wholesale
| licenses shall cost $500 and retail IL
censes 81 coo per annum. And there
was another introduced providing
for temperance home to be erected
in Washington for soldiers, sailors
and civilians.
A gathering which filed the Bijou
theatre a few evenings since was
highly gratifying to the friends OF
the temperance cause in this city. The
people had assembled TO hear Bishops
Keane of Richmond, and Ireland OF
Texas, discuss temperance. Ihai
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 from liquor for
one wear. The speakers argued tna'
the man who sells liquor is an active
party to all the crime, misery ana
suffering produced by it. The evil
needed TO be handled with force
that would be used 10 put down re-
helliOn. ,.,
1t is now thought there is little
doubt that the Senate Committee to
which the bill for prohibition in TINS
District has been referred, will make
a favorable report on the same. MOI
that the majority of the Committee
really favor prohibition, but II is be- !
ing so earnestly agitaled at this ime
that the majority deem ii advisable =
to give the Senate an opportunity to !
act upon the question. =
The penny postage scheme has Just
met with a rebuff from the Senate
on POst-Onices. The c
Chairman-Senator Sawyer-stated Ii
that it was not thought prudent to h
attempt to reduce postage at present II
The POst-oflice Department was still =
.unning behind. and it was thought 5
letter TO wait until it was self-sus- II
aiming before any further reduction a
vas attempted. Senator lloar want N
d to have put on record his belief re
hat it was the duty of the Govern n
ient and the interest of the people tC
D have postage reduced to one cent. e.
lie believed the Department would
apidly become self,sustsiqiPgct ben n
ate; bAtfTg the country closer to-
,lher would more than compensate ~
II any deficit. =
Senator Beck, IF Kentucky, u
Tho introduced the bill, said
e could not understand how ca
ne Government could afford to car Of
Y bonnets and harness and merchan- CO
Use all over the country for a cent II
n ounce and not be able to carry the
copies information at the same rate.
Senator Plat, of Connecticut, here /
inferred his protest against postage .
icing considered with reference to v
he question whether or not the Post b
Office Department was self-support- S
ing. The people wanted the best and /
cheapest postal service they could get, c
and did not insist that ,the De-
partment should be self-supporting,
There is good prospect now that
the existing order of things with
reference to the time for the meeting
and closing of Congress and the in
auguration of the President will be
quite turned around. The Senate
agreed by a unanimous vote to the |
Constitutional amendment changing |
the term of the President and the
present Congress, so that they shall
continue until the 30th day of April,
1889, and that Senators whose terms
would otherwise expire on March
4th, 1889, shall continue until April
Both, following, and thereafter the
Both of April shall be substituted for
the 4th ofMarch as inauguration day,
as well as the commencement and
termination of the official term of
Senators and Representatives in Con-
gress.