The sun., 1889-12-07
LIVE WASHINGTON TOPICS.
nm OFFICIAL RECOGNITION TO BE
T1REN or JEFF DLTTS'S DEATH.

anrr
Man"-Tho New Onheers OF the House
Tnstructed to DistrIbute Their PAtron-
aee 10 states Only that Have Republi-
cans In Their DELEGATIONS te COngress-
PresIdent Harrison starts fer Chicago.
WASHINGTON. Dec. Gan ex-Cabinet Min
,,,.r lay dead to-day. and yet no recognition
,vas taken OF tho fact by the Government OH
nsrs in Washington. The nag that floats from
tbe roof Of the War Department blew out
straIRbt from the top OF the stan this morning.
The telegraph had informed tho officers OF the
dsnnrtment that Jefferson Davis, ex-secretary
~ war. was dead, but no order was issued in
S.eard TO the event This Is the first time In
,he history of the Government that the death
~ one who was once at the head OF an ex-
.outiye department was left unnoticed. When
,ev days ago news came to Washington that
the x-President Of the Southern Confederacy
Ios Iikely TO die, an informal consultation was
h.ld md Il was then decided that It was not the
dutv of the Government TO even recognize the
fact that Mr.. Davis had ever lived. Tho War
Department officials were. therefore not In
doubt this morning about their course OF
action when the news came OF tho death OF the
sy.Secrotary OF War. Mr.. Davis had never had
mia disabilities removed, and consequently was
not a citizen OF the United States at the tme
oI his death. Secretary Proctor. when asked
this morning why the War Department nag
was not at half mast, said:
"OfIlcInlly we do not know that MIR. Davis Is
dsad. We know no such man. 1t is better to
forgot such things. to let them pass away from
our minds"
II ia quito probable. however. that had Mr..
Davis been what is known rs "a reconstructed
rebel" and legal citizen OF the United States.
the War Department would not haye neglected
dead. Secretary Proctor: no doubt, remembers
the cry OF indignation that went up from the
ranks nS Of he Grand na Rrmg
fssIssarS EsSqs4 q the sT {sas SE
Of respect to the memory of Jacob Thompson.
n tSat Ee Ssf On Feb H. Isfs Georse W. NC
Creary, then Secretary OF War, ordered the
sO4E the o sRc on
OF tho funeral, of eX-Secretary Conrad OF
Louisiana, the, immediate predecessor OF Mr.;
H during t the war. but his disabilities had been
removed, This, order was Issued. however.
understanding. SO that there was nothing done.
No Official recognition OF wSny Kind was :; taken da
The Mississippi delegation in Congress met in
formally and passed resolutions 10 memory OF
Mr.. Davis, but that was all. His death has
come as surprise. and the news created but
little, more than the ordinary interest. It re;
Vive1 Stories OF tD0 bOuLu, ana WaT BtOIleR anu
many men who know MIR. Davis well In Wash.
inRton and elsewhere are rushing into print
tie has been brought out. however. that adds
anything new to the history Of the leader Of the
two Congress- has been polled on the subject Of
removing voluntarily the political disabilities
%as vi T about to IN occur The almost unanimous
oninion Of the members was that 1t was best to
let well enough alone.
A somewhat novel proposition is about to be
made in Congress. as q substitute for the ono
that comes up every year and each time is de-
feRted, to give every Representative in Con-
gress clerk at the Government expense; The
and IVi that it is only Hight that the dovernment
should pay for them, but IT. they @ always " refuse to
posed, however. that the Government. shall
sPt s9 fGe be- afa Of
tol.. The plan is to haye the members talk all
graph hSada auarters. the bills to be paid by the
ifhS tSinE thas The would Be more eu ready
to vote for this method OF assistance than they
the % expense zen ct to the government would be muen
less. The phonograph company ts decidedly
Speaker Reed has appointed Amos L. Allen
Of Afford. Me-. as his private secretary.
A bill introduced by Senator Edmunds yes
terday. in regard to tho removal of cases from
State TO Federal courts, makes some rather I'm
Il broadens the existing laws with Reference % to
gases which may be removed from state TO
and E as to iS
cases in which q defence is set up justifytng |
TIE act 81 any person under the laws OF the |
The Republican Senatorial Caucus Commit
new: States to Committees. Noting was % dedo do
oUr1ed anf MoR6ay prS6abe 16St %
committee assiRnmepts viii be made by what
s&pS Sdd6g the YaouS ne% memSers rs
Gome committee by assigning them in some in
STANCES M to succeed on one or more committees
mittees.
The President and party left here for Chi
esRo at 81 ?. NJ. and expect to arrive in, In
main there gntil midnigh Of Sunday. and then
PROCEED to Chicago. The, President will return
Sn rs EHn
TO the White House. He will leave Indianapolis
Wednesday, SG mornfnE % In time % to attend n tRe RS
Congressional Centennial celebration at the
At the last moment Mrs. Harrison decided
not 70 accompany the President owing to the
condition OF her sister, Mrs. Scott-Lord. who
Is seriously Ill at her home in this city.
Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt has
written q letter to Mr.. Swift OF tho Indianapo-
lis Civil Service Reform League, In which he
denies that the Commissioners, ever asked a
direct route from Baltimore to China" I'm
The examinations for clerks letter carriers.
and the like" he says. we mover ask apv
questions about geography outside Of the
United States In fact all the assertions that
ve ask Questions about :, how far the earth Is
rom Mara and the climatic conditions OF
Africa or the route from Baltimore to China
IRE simply ridiculous untruths. chiefly service
lble as calling attention TO the intellectual
,apaclty OF those who utter them"
The first article OF the report OF the Commit
ee on Committees providing for the appoint
nent Of an executive committee, was adopted
o-day by the Pan, American Conference. The
econd article which provoked such lively
discussion yesterday. providing for the appoint
nent OF q committee on a customs union, was |
not reached to-day The election OF a First and
second Vice-PresIdents was postponed until to-
morrow.
A delegate 10 the International Maritime