Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1889-12-19

WAsuINGroN December N 1sso


The commonest pastime in Washing
ton for fortnight after new Congress
assemblies is to sit in the House galleries
and study the new physognomy and
anatomy below The senate is never
new, for changes are so few and so small
in proportion to the whole number of
senators that the new faces are soon
identified and analysed. But the house
is one-third new every two years. Half
a dozen of the members who took fresh
seats at this session have been in con-
gress before. Among them were Gen.
Banks, who was speaker years ago; H..
J.. Morey, to whom Gen. Garfield did or
dld not write certain letter once upon
a time; Roswell p. Flower and M. H..
Dunnel, of sand-hauling fame. But 1lS
OF the new men were taking their initial
| experience in congressional life.
New faces have not changed the
! Democratic side of the chamber as much
as the other. Mr.. Reed found that he
must go diligently at work to get ac-
quainted with his own forces. The
speakers eye was likely to recognize
more men from the minority than the
majority. The South has replaced 27 of
its 81 members with new men. New
| England has retired over half of her
| representatives in the fiftieth congress.
Four of the nine Pacific coast delegation
are new to the house. Forty-two of the
| lis Western members are strangers and
thirtytwo of the seventy representa-
tives from the middle states are novices
in the American House of Commons. I"
~
One can hear and learn a good deal of
what's going on in the political circles at
the capital in the lobby of hotel And
much information is thus cleaned that
couldn't otherwise be obtained by the
correspondents. The other evening
while strolling through the lobby of the
Ebbitt House l heard a gentleman re-
mark that of all of the cabinet officers
Blaine was the most exclusive. That
was singular remark to make, and yet
it was very significant. An investigation
next day disclosed the fact that the
assertion made about the Plumed
Knights eXclusiveness was true. Con-
gressmen having business at the State
Department say that it's almost impos-
slble to secure an audience with its pres
ent autocratic head. Frequently the
members call at the Department two
and three times and wait sometimes an
hour before they are ushered into the
august presence of Harrison's Premier.
1t is beginning to be very well under
stood that the magnetic statesman is not
the approachable man he is alleged to
be, and the fact that he denies himself
to people having business with the head
of the State Department is not calculated
to impress one with the democracy OF
the Administration in that Department
*x*
The great subject that congress will
have to wrestle with at the present ses
sion is the Worlds Fair project. In the
l public buildings here, the machinery Of
E the government which is in operation
every day, in the National Museum col
lections, and the official and historical
l archives of the government Washington
' has already Worlds Fair, hardly les
! interesting to Americans and foreigner
: alike than anything that could b,
brought together in metropolitan cities
e Washington's weakness lies altogethe
in the direction of transportation facil
II tiles. Let the railroad companie
: answer this question satisfactorily, ant
o l have no doubt Washington will carr,
It the Exposition with a rush. | hav
f unlimited faith in the capacity of tn
, Washington boarding houses. Half
" million people can be Accommodated il
them fully as long as they will want t.
stay.
q *x*
= The presidents message was a yer,
interesting document, and nobody reat
, it with more interest than the distin
guished secretary of state. Three year
e ago Blaine gave it as his opinion tha
1 trusts are private affairs with which
neither President Cleveland nor any
,,r,t 10 hn, ,,;,, ,l,t 20