Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-02-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
1'rom our icgalar Correspondent
WAsnIN0rON. Feb. l9th. lSS9

WAsnINGTON, Feb. 18th, 1889.
The speakers eye is rs hard to catch
now as a lottery prize AS the session
nears its final end every available
means is taken TO secure the passage
of private bills and other pet measures
to the disregard of legislation of SUI
preme Importance. 1t is now certain
that the present tariff bill will pass
the present Congress and that president
Harrison will have to call an extra
session of the next Congress. 1t is
even believed that the Deficiency bill,
which contains among other matters
an eight million dollar appropriation
for pension deficiencies. will fail of
passage this session. Everything
would indicate that il would he to tire
interest of the republican party to hold
an extra session, and most of its leaders
advise it.
The preparation for the inaugural
tion are stupendous. Along Pennsyl-
vania avenue the sound of hundreds of
hammers are heard. as the mammoth
viewing stands rise high in the air
The pension building is temporarilv
surrounded with extensive sheds Cor
the cooking and other necessary -
rangemeutS for the IAadsulal uaiA.
Everywhere boarding house nc, pels
and thrifty private families are le,ei-
ishly awaiting chance 10 tahv 80,
stranger in. still Prices viii nut Dr so
high as has been published. Coco aC-
Communications Will be ayailaule iol
from $3.50 to $3.50 per day, though OF
course no one need expect suite {!
rooms 10 himself. In fact ii lac gvtS q.
cot he should be satisfied. Food ~.
be very little, If any higher than usua
1t should not be necessary to inforll
sensible people that the hotels DO NOT
follow the example OF the railroads in
offering half prices. That should not
be expected. One should be willing ,c
pay fully at such 3 time. l did no,
hear New York alderman kick at the
Chicago convention when the hotei
clerk charged him sixty cents All huui
Tor sleeping on billiard table because
.hat was the regular game rent.
There was tremendous crush Il,
the House OF Representatives OH Wee
desday TO witness the counting Of the
electoral vote, and although very littl,
AMUSEMENT could be had, the occasion
partoOk of the nature of a social gai:
day. Nearly every one Of note or al
legged note attended. The Senate
marched over TO the House at o'clock
nd Senator Ingalls, took his seat b,-
SIDE speaker Carlisle. The box con.
aiming the returns was opened ano
'rnatcr ingalls, broke the seals of each
envri p. handing the contents to some
f9atUl Or Member who read the vote
com 1.encing with that of Alabama.
> ala Has the first count under the
rw iaw. frequent reference to the
statute was necessary. There have
'erH only TWO occasions in history,
Sl,n ,he electoral vote failed to decide
* Contest. and one when its honesty
.ss disputed.
.he strrner sex and were for once adj
.l',,c % tine floor Of the House during
"s aalng The galleries were Il mass
Il It Eats and bonnets. There was
.t.. .le W2rcupied spot. and that was
&c pIesldeut's gallery. II the vote TO
e counted had been different, how
ally certain fair woman would have
ri,nl from the Executive Mansion to
ne capitol TO witness the proceedings
and though; The monotonons reading
divin; music. | can imagine her with
ilusAed ana triumphant face, her soul
IN her eyes, leaning forward that moth
Ing of the scene might be lost. 1T
might have BEEN" but Americans
with all their proverbial gallaDtry.
sometimes deny their sweetest women
when great issues are involved.
General Greedy has communicated
to Congress his opinion that the lieu-
tenants of the signal corps are grossly
inefficient. Last spring he stated that
tho errors Of the weather bureau were
due to the ignorance OF the civilians
employed, and he added that if it were
taken from military supervision he
would abandon it to its fate. The
iieutenants and the civilians are afraid
to say what they think of General
Greedy, but if they dared to speak it
would be to say that Greely cannot be
compared to his predecessor IIazen aud
pales in comparison with the brilliant
Nyer. They would add that his aston
shing promotion from a captain, who
had just returned in 1887 from a disas-
trous Arctic expedition in which he
made a thousand miserable errors. to,a
Brigadier-General in charge Of the Sig
nal office. was a sentimental reward
4 T.. ~