The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-05-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, May 2, 1892.


ming to realize that the persistent alb.
senteeism of large number of demo.
cratic members of the House is jeop.
ardizng the party's control Of the next
House. 1t is all very well to blame
the republicans for refusing to vote to
make quorum so that the House can
transact its business, but the voters
will not forget that if every democratic
member was in his seat the party
could cast 81 votes more than a quo
rum of the House, and could transact
business without the votes of a single
republican, if they did not choose 10
vote. 1t is simply folly to expect that
the republicans will neglect any oppor.
tunity to bring to the attention Of the
country the lack of quorum, and in
declining to vote they are but fol 'ow
ing the example set them by the dem.
ocrats in the last Congress.
What then is to be done1 That is
just what is puzzling the gentlemen
who are regarded as party leaders. All
sorts Of suggestions have been made,
and many favor the plan Of making a
direct appeal to the democratic voters,
asking them to bring pressure enough
to bear upon their members to compel
them to remain in their seats in view
of the general desire for denomination
it would not require much pressure of
this sort to control the average absen-
tee. Whatever is to be done must be
done quickly. Every day that there
is not quorum of democrats on the
floor of the House will add to the diff
Guilty of electing democratic majority
of the next House, and to lose the
House would be dire misfortune that
even the election of the President will
not fully compensate the party for.
The trouble seems to be that the dem
ocratic majority is SO large that some
OF the members think that their pres
ence is not necessary. That is mis-
take that must be brought home to
them.
The admissions of Special Examiner
Greenwalt of the Pension Bureau are
Of themselves sufficient cause for the
summary dismissal of Commissioner
Raum. Greenwalt admitted under
the cross examination of Representa-
tive Enloe that under orders from
Raum he has gone to Indiana, and
given man $a5 to send to Represen.
tative Cooper, to be paid to Mr.. Coop
er's private secretary, for information
which had been furnished concerning
pension claims, in the hope of proving
Mr.. Cooper guilty of allowing his sec.
retary to accept money for the infor-
nation which had been obtained by
the use Of his name and official privi-
leges at the Pension Bureau. Nice
sort of business for the head Of one of
the most important bureaux of the
Government to be engaged in, wasn't
it?
Ex-United States Treasurer Huston,
OF Indiana, who left Washington last
year swearing vengeance on Harrison
because of Sights to himself or family,
must have been placated. He is now
in Washington, and this is the way he
talks: ''There is no other expectation
out our way than that President Har-
lison will be renominated. There
never was any organized opposition to
him in Indiana"
"Teddy" Roosevelt is on the war
path for Mr.. Wanamaker, and he has
announced his intention to hguratively
scalp the Postmaster General for the
delectation Of the House committee
on Reform in the Civil Service, which
is engaged in making an investigation
OF the charges Roosevelt made against
81 employees Of the Baltimore Post
Office, last year. Mr.. Wanamaker in
his testimony before the committee
presented the report of the Post Office
washing the aforesaid
and intimated that Mr..
Roosevelt has been green enough to
allow himself to be imposed on when
ne made his investigation. This got
''Teddy's" fighting blood up, and he
has sworn revenge and asked for a
hearing before the committee. Some
lively testimony is expected from him,
as it is believed that he has a good
case. Besides, it is known that he has
no love for Mr.. Wanamaker, whom he
called careless handler of the truth
during the investigation concerning
the notorious Shidy, of Milwaukee. 1t
is also said that Mr.. Wanamaker has
in reserve a broadside of hot shot
which he proposes pouring into Ted
dy," if it becomes necessary for him to
defend himself. Although Mr.. Wana-
maker Is Sunday School teacher, and
knows nothing about the
great American game of poker, there
are people who say that this is thrown
out as "bluff" to make Roosevelt
,aul in his horns. 1t makes little diff
ference either way. Let 'em fight, and
nay the best man win; and may the