The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-03-08
Washington Letter.
From our regular correspondent.

WASHINGTON, ID. C. Mar, 3, 80
The Supreme Court Of the U. S.
is to be given an opportunity to de-
eide whether Speaker Reeds new
method of counting Il quorum is
Constitutional or not. The Demo
cratic leaders have mapped out a
programme with that end specially
in view. Mr.. J.O. Pendleton Of
the first district of w. Va. who was
unseated last week by the votes of
less than majority of the House,
which is constitutional quorum,
proposes to claim his salary ms a
member of the House of Represent t.
atives, and if the treasury officials
refuse to pay him-and they will
he will enter suit for it in the
court of claims and appeal it from
there, if decided against him, to
the Supreme Court. And if the
Republicans show any disposition
to delay the case in either court he
will sue out mandamus to stop
the Treasury officials from paying
the salary of the man who has
been illegally given the seat be.
longing to him. 1t is well that this
question is to be legally decided,
and the sooner the decision can be
gotten the better.
How circumstances alter cases
was never made palmer than by
the actions of the election commit
tees of the two Houses of Congress.
In the House where the Republi-
cans need every vote they can get,
there has been an indecent haste
in reporting contested election
cases, while in the Senate where
no votes are needed there is II dig
nified leisure is the way contests
are treated. On the 18th of Febru-
ary the evidence was all taken and
the arguments heard in the Mon
tana Senatori ial contest; Saturday
March /, the committee met and
appointed subcommittee to col
late the facts to be reported at the
next meeting, which will be next
Saturday.
Governor Thompson, the Demo-
cratic civil service commissioner,
is the only one of the trio that has
not been smirchad by the investiga-
tion now in progress. Lyman has
been convicted of a favoritism of
the worst kind in having promoted
his brother-in-law after he had
acknowledged that he had stolen
examination papers from the Office
for party who was seeking pro-
motion, and now Roosevelt, the
high priest of the ~ am better than
you" element in politics, is convict
ed of having deceived the Secre-
tary of War i'm order to transfer an
incompetent clerk from his own
office TO the War department, and
of having deceived the Postmaster
General and the Superintendent
of the Census in order to obtain n
place in the census bureau for a
man who had perjured himself in
order to help Roosevelt make a re-
port against the postmaster at
Milwaukee.
The urgency deficiency appropri-
alton bill spa, 8,650,OO0-has been
passed by the House. $21, 100000
of it is to pay pensions Of the war
of 1912, and of the Mexican war.
The Worlds Fair bill is now in
the hands of the House committee
awaiting the decision of the repre-
sentahves of Chicago as to what
changes they want made in it. AS
soon as this is determined upon
the bill will he reported to the
House and there IL little or no
doubt Of its being promptly passed
by the House. The doubtful part
Of the business will be reached in
the Senate.
A New York Syndicate, Of which
ID. o. Mills, the father-in-law of
Whitelaw Reid, editor OF the Iri.
bune and ex-senator Tom Plat,
the Republican boss, are leading
members, has been awarded, by
Secretary Window, the exclusive
right to catch seals in Alaskan
waters for twenty years from the
first of next May. 'Fhls is a cop,bi-