Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-02-16
wAsHrNGroN LETTER.
lFrOm our regular eorrespondsnt.l
WAaHTNaTON. Feb. 8. 1896

WASHINGTON, FEB. o, 1888.
Last Thursday was field day in the
Senate. It had been announced thai
Senator Kenna, OF West Virginia
would reply to the recent tariff speech
Of Senator Sherman. The gallerie;
were crowded with hundreds who were
eager to hear the discussion Of the most
vital issue Of the time.
Senator Kenna's defense of the Presi
dents famous message was mastery
and convincing, and the Democratic
position on the tariff was set forth In
fine style, while the alleged arguments
Of Senator Sherman were completely
demolished.
Replying to the Ohio Senator's claim
that Treasury surplus was preferable
to a deficit, Mr.. Kenna cited the facI
that four successive Secretaries Of the
Treasury, two Republican and two
Democratic, and two Presidents Arthur
and Cleveland, had agreed in condemn
Ing surplus revenue and in demand.
ing a reduction oftaxation. This argu,
ment was unanswerable.
Mr.. Riddleberger continues his wal
ON secret sessions of the Senate, the
latest assault of the impulsive Virgin,
ian having been provoked by the dicta'
torial airs of the would-be-lordly Ed
munds, of Vermont. Executive star
chamber sessions are growing more
unpopular every day and their fina
abandonment is only matter of time
Some newspapers throughout the
country have been confounding Sena'
tor Hoar's Inauguration Day resolution
with some other measure. The joint
resolution which passed the Senate was
simply this: The term of office of the
President and Fiftieth Congress shall
continue until the last Tuesday OF
April, In the year 1889, at noon. The
Senators whose term would otherwise
expire on the fourth day of March, in
the year 1889, or thereafter, shall con-
tinue in office until noon of the last
Tuesday in April succeeding such ex-
piration; and the last Tuesday of April,
at noon, shall thereafter be substituted
for the fourth of March as the COM
mencement and termination of the Re-
representatives. in Congress.
There is nothing in Mr.. Hoar's reso'
luton relative to the time of meeting Of
Congress or the election of members
There are bills pendingin both Houses,
however, which provide that Congress
shall meet on the 18th of October, in
stead of the first Monday in December,
and it is with these bills that the Hoar
resolution has been confounded.
The event of the week in the House
was the Lowry White election contest,
which is still pending. All of the Re-
publican Representatives are marshaled
in battle array, and it is evident that
they propose exhausting all their re-
sources to retain an alien Congressman,
who is no more nor less than usurper,
in his seat. The Democrats are EN-
deavoring to remand the controversy
bacy to the people for settlement. The
Republican party has so often been the
champion of fraud that it seems to
hesitate at nothing of this kind.
The President has materially chang
ed the civil service rules. The maxi
mum age limitation of forty-five years
has been abrogated; the list of exempts
has been restricted; some additional
advantages are given to soldiers; dis
missaI of subordinates was rejected,
although there was powerful Mug
wump influence exerted in support OF
it.
1t is highly probable that several
changes will soon be made in the Ter
ritorial Judiciary, asa number OF va
cancies occur next month, and it is not
thought that any Of the present incum-
bents will secure new lease of official
life. There are many applicants fol
f. these places.
The Postmaster General has authoriz'
ed the arming of fevery postal employe
on all the railroad routes where there is
danger of the depreciation of robbers
upon postal cards.
Many of the Interior Department
clerks developed a tendency to gather
ia and about the Office of the Commits
sioner of Patents the past week, the
attraction being Bob Ingersoll, Roscoe
Conkling and Frank Hurd, who were
engaged as counsel in the noted Tele.
phone patent case. Mr.. Conkling Is
aging quite rapidly, but Ingersoll looks
as rosy aud rotund as when he made
his celebrated Plumed Knight speech
nominating Blaine.