The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-03-29
SENATORIAL INVESTIGATIONS
Some of the Pleasant Jaunts Planned for
Spring and Summer.
Wash, Cor Detroit News

Some of the Pleasant Jaunts Planned for
Spring and Summer.
WASH Cor. Detroit News.
Senator Stocllbridge and his colleagues who
will ''investigate' the recent Indian troubles
will have most agreeable spring trip. After
going all over the Indian country where there
was trouble they will drift out to California
There are Mission Indians in California, and,
although they may not need to be investigated,
still the climate of California is very balmy
during the spring months. Then there are In
dian tribes in New Mexico and Arizona, and at
various other points where the life of the tour
ist is made very agreeable. This committee
starts off some time in April. It's members are
Senators Dawes, Platt, Stockbridge, Mander-
son, Pettigrew, Morgan, Jones, and Daniel.
But the investigation which is likely to afford
the greatest amount of recuperation for its
members is that which will investigate the
building Of our new Navy. This committee
will not start until some time in June or July.
They will embark in one of the new steel
cruisers, and will investigate the naval stations
along the Atlantic Coast, which stations, by
the way, happen to be very agreeable pleasure
resorts. They will, of course, go to Newport
to ''investigate'' the condition of affairs there
Then there are the old naval Notifications at
Fortress Monroe, which happen to be along
side OF the summer gaieties of Old Point Com
fort. These will need ''inyestigation." 1t is
thought likely that the committee will then
take private car and go across the country to
investigate" the naval station at San Fran
cisco.
Senator Hoar's committee, which is to
investigate the affairs of Canada, will also
have nice summer tour. 1t has been doing
this investigating for the last two years, and
the most conspicuous feature of the work thus
far has been the smothering of the Carlisle res
olution indorsing reciprocal relations with
Canada. If that resolution had been passed
by the Senate it would have materially aided
the liberals in their fight for more cordial rela-
tions with this country. But Senator Hoar
pigeon holed the resolution, and then got
through his own resolution empowering him
to investigate" this summer. Plumb, of
Kansas, who is not afraid to break ahead
when he gets an opportunity, brought out the
character of Mr.. Hoar's investigation" at the
time the Senate authorized the trip. Plumb
said that the last he had heard of Senator
Hoars "investigation'' party was when they
were III railroad wreck somewhere near
Mexico, looking for the southern boundary
line of Canada.
''1he 'investigation'' of Alaska will be car
ried on by fifteen Senators and members, and
it promises to be very pleasant trip, covering
June, July, and August This trip is very
popular, being one that Gen. Alger and T. @.
Platt took with their families about a year
ago. IHc only ullIeTence between tnelr Trip
and the trip of the Senators and members is
that the Alger-Platt party paid their own ex-
penses and the Congressional party do not
1t is urged that this investigation will be pro-
ductive of much good, for there are many i'm
portant questions brought before Congress
concerning Alaska and very little information
upon which action can be based. The commit
tee expects to come back with full data to
prosecute all needed legislation for the far
northwestern territory
1t is almost needless to suggest that most of
these Investigations are entirely needless and
could be carried on here with much better re-
suits The Navy Department and the Navy
officers here are the ones who could furnish
the best information concerning the condition
of our new Navy. But Senators and Repre-
sentatives have enough of Washington during
the session of Congress, and if they want to
''investigate' anything they want to go some
where where the ''inVestigation'' will prove
incidentally refreshing and diyerting. The
condition of Indian affairs could also be best
'investigated" at the Indian Bureau here,
where all of the statistics and reports from in
Vulnerable Indian agents and officers are at
hand. What half dozen Senators can do in
'investigating'' Indian affairs from the We
randall of some hotel will not be likely to add
much in solving the Indian problem or any
other problem.