The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-02-28
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, Feb. %, lss

WASHINGTON, Feb. %, 1889.
Senator Harris, of Tenn, is at the
head of q coalition of Democratic Sen
ators who have started in on the i'm
possible task of trying to shame the
Republican Senators into confirming
some of the nominations now pending
before the Senate. MIR. Harris has an
nounced his purpose of making mo
tion every day to go into Executive
session in order to consider these nom
iDations. The facts in the case are
without precedent, and should bring q
blush to the cheek of every fair mthd
ed Republican. After the PresIden
tiai election of 1880 Hayes sent to the
Senate $50 nominations, nearly all of
which were corfiim med. eAfter Mr..
Cleveland was elected. Arthur sent to
the Senate 6l2 nominations, and all of
them were confirmed except twenty
Now Mr. Cleyelsnd has sent to the
Senate since the election of Harrison
45S nominations, of which 133 relating
to army and navy promotions that
may be considered non political, have
been confirmed, leaving the enormous
Dumber 277 unacted upon. Such par
tizanship has never before been dis
played by the Senate, but even ths
most conservative Republicans seem
10 glory In what they are doing.
Congressional interference with
Southern elections does not seem to be
popular in either House of the present
Congress. The House Committee Oh
Elections has decided that it has no
jurisdiction over the contest which the
late John NJ. Clayton, of Arkansas,
was making at the time of his death
for these that Mr.. Breckinridge was
elected to. and the Senate committee
has tabled the Chsndier and other res
olutions ofthe same iik. 1t has re
ported q much ml!,ier resolution, but
even that is not certain to go through
the senate.
An agreement on the Omnibus Ter
ritorial bill has been arrived at. The
act provides for the elections in time
for the Senators and Representatives
from North and South Dakota, Mon
tana and Washington to take their
seats next December.
The President has signed the bill
charteriDg the Nicaragua canal Go.
The lobbyists interested IN the pass
age of the direct tax bill are ia great
trouble. They succeeded in gettirg it
through both Houses of Congress, but
owing 70 unexpected opposition caus
log delay, it reached The President
within less than ten days of the end of
the session, which m axes it absolutely
necessary that the bill shall be signed
by the President before IL o'clock on
the 4th of March This will give Mr..
Cleveland an opportunity to see the
bill die without the trouble of vetoipg
it. Many still believe that it will be
vetoed, and that the Preside1t will
tlke this occasion to administer sh4r
rebuke to Congress in relation to this
class of legislation.
The Pacific Railroads have once
more proved themselves to be stronger
than Congress. Ali hopes of getting
the bill relating to their indebtedness
to the government through at this ses-
sion have been abandoned, and the
Senate has, at the re quest OF the com
mittee on Pacific railroads, recommit.
ted the bill to that COM mittee. Evi
IDENTIFY Mr.. Huntington has not been
holding private conferences with that
committee for nothing.
Minister Phelps, recently arrived
from Londen, came to Washington
this week to pay his respects to the
President.
The open letter written to Mr.. Clevs
land by the recently removed Civil
service Commissioner, Judge Edger
ton, In which the latter was abusive of
the formef, will do Mr.. Edgerton much
more harm than the President. Few
people care to pay attention to the
tales told by a discharged employe
Had the Judge written such letter a
month ago and accompanied it with
his resignation, it would have created
a political sensation, but now 1t raises
but few comments.
The changes in the Cabinet states
are more erratic than ever, as the time
in which they Ecan be made grows
shorter Names ale proposed and
prayely announced as decided upon
only to be dismissed from prophecy
next morning. The latest. though not
for that reason the most probable or
r Aasopable slate. gives Mr. Blaine for
of State, Mr.. Window for
the Treasury, Gen Rnsk for the War
Department, Mr.. Wanamaker for Post
master General and Mr.. Noble, of Mo |
for Secretary of the Interior. The i'm.
Is prevalent that MIR. Har.
rison's law partner, Miller, will also
81 st his council table,