San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-06-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From orr Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June s. 1889.

SuDsIue, anu the poOplo hOi'ii, oouVhi
east and west are joining in the de-
mand for an early opening of the
Fifty-frst Congress. What is yet
more to the point, the drift of opinion
among mem bers-elect seems 10 be
in the same direction, as far as il has
been ascertained through inter
views. This is hopeful sign. 1t
shows that our lawmakers are awak-
ing to the necessity of getting more
time to do their work in weather
which does not sap their energies
comepletely. The result of the ag-
itation will be one of two things:
Either We shall begin the long session
earlier so as 10 end them earlier, or
we shall continue the short sessions
later so as to get some chance to
finish the necessary work. Possibly
both of these good euds may be at
tanned. The November elections make
it desirable, in the even years, to
avoid the necessity of converting Con-
gress before December; and Novem-
Der seems to have been SO widely
accepted among the States as the
best time for the local as well as the
general elections that it will probably
be allowed to stand. The popular
impression seems to be, however, that
by beginning, the sessions in the old
years, about the first of October, and
continuing them till June. and begin
ing the sessions in the even years in
December and continuing them until
the 30th of April, better results could
be secured though these ideas are,
of course, subservient to the yet
broader and better idea of a continuous
session, broken only by recesses.
The damage to the work on the
Potomac flats which was feared and
predicted has come. The dawdling,
pitiful policy of squeezing every
penny grudgingly appropriated for
this Improvement, against which the
capital has vainly protested, has
worked out it's logical result. Having
wisely determined that the flats
should be reclaimed, and Washing
toms harbor improved and having
fairly entered upon this labor it should
have been pushed TO speedy ending.
Failures to propose sufficient apprO-
priatiOns, and failures to propose any
appropriation whatever, and the fail
ure of appropriation bills in which,
after hard struggle, some small pro-
vision for the work had been made
have kept unfinished the improve
ments, upon which hundreds of thou
sands of dollars had been expended
exposed to destruction from any sud-
den rise in the Potomac. When the
work is resumed it should be under
taken under an appropriation suf-
ficient to complete it and should be
steadily pursued until the point of
danger from the Potomac is passed.
The injury to the capital by the
destruction of the Chesapeake andOhio
canal is probably greater and threa-
tens to be more lasting than that
from the direct effect of the flood
upon shipping, wharves and property
along the river front and in the sub
merged district. This historic canal,
the first of its kind in the country,
which Washington planned and
which received it's starting stroke
from John Quincy Adams, President,
has apparently run its course. The
cause of its death are an antiquated
and non-progressive policy in respect
to improvements, the competition
of railroads, the management of its
affairs in political instead of business
lines, and Potomac freshets. The
canal has been permitted to remain
in much the same condition since its
completion in 1850, and it has been
easily distanced by it's business like
railroad competitors.
\ serious situation and very
troublesome question now confront
the people Of the capital. There are
hundred different ways in which
Washington industries and the in
terests of District consumers will be
unfavOrably effected by the loss OF
direct communication with the coal
and grain fields and with other sour
ces of supply furnished by the canal.
Washington has suffered from the
flood heavy losses in property, though
happily, not in life, some citizens who
are in circumstances to bear their
losses are poorer by thousands of doll
ars; but there are others the substance
of whose property and whose entire
means of present support have been
swept away. The disaster at Johns
town minimizes the blow which has
fallen upon the capital, and in view
of the far greater suffering of the people
of the deluged Pennsylvania valley
our city's charity will not end as well
as beginning the relief of flood-suffe-
rers at home. The charitable of
Washington have opened to them,
so to speak, both a domestic and
foreign mission.