Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-12-15
fFrom our regular Correspondent
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 5

WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 5. 1892.
The Presidents annual message to Con-
gress. although owing to the sad and sor-
rowful conditions under which 1t was
written, it lacked the polish Of some Of the
Presidents other State papers, rings with
patriotism and true republican sound from
It's beginning to its end mailing as 1t fgura-
lively does. the banner inscribed with Pro
| lection to Americans, at Home and
| Abroad Reciprocity and Honest Money, TO
; the masthead of the good old republican
ship which still proudly floats, notwith-
| standing the severity of the storm through
, which she passed last month. The record
OF this administration. a synopsis of which
Is given 10 the message, has never been
! surpassed In time of peace, and is not
, likely to be soon. Every republican who
| reads this message and every one should,
will feel proud that he voted for Bepia-
! min Harrison, who tells him, between the
lines, that lit Is better TO be right than to
be President, and in the same way re-
peats the command of the famous sailor
Don't give up the ship" The message
Will not 90 to Congress until Tomorrow
but was favored with an advance copy.
The opening of Congress occurred with
out any specially notable incident The
Senate took up, under q resolution adopt-
ed at the last session, the anti-optiou bill
as the unfinished business. This bill
has brought strong lobby to Washington
which is plentifuly supplied with cash
by the spectators whose business As deal
ers IN options on grain, cotton, etc, will
be ended II the bill becomes law, and
this lobby has been indulging In game of
orag about aow easy this bill will be de-
feated. Senator washburn, who is in
charge of the bill, is confident that il will
be passed and become law He saws
nothing but sharp parliamentary practice
on the part OF those opposed to the bill
can prevent its being passed.
There are no present indications that the
democrats Of the House are going to do
any better. either in point of attendance or
in legislation, than they did a, thu. last ses.
sion. Last week Mr.. Holman, chairman
oithe committee on appropriations, stated
that at least one Of the regular appropri-
alton bills would be ready TO be reported
to the House to-day; but none Of them
were ready, and according to the stories
around the Capitol there is a regular cat
and dog fight among the democrats on
the several committees having charge OF
appropriations as to where the cutting
that MIR. Holman insists shall be done is
to begin. Each fellow wants the cutting
to be done in all the bills except the par
tlcular one In which he is Interested II
looks now a- II the heaviest emitting, pro-
portionately, is 10 be done in the District
OF Columbia bill, one of the smallest of
the regular appropriation bills, and also
the one having the smallest political "pull"
1t Is difficult to get democratic mem
Der of the House to commit himself either
for or against anything. Take the matter
OF Immigration for instance, with which
politics should have nothing whatever TO
ton will, in u report on It's investigation of
the subject, recommend that u bill be pass-
ed suspending all immigration for one
year. and Surgeon Gen. Wyman, Of the
Marine Hospits Service, who is in charge
OF the national quarantine sgainst the
cholera. will in his annual report say that
such suspension is an absolutely necessary
precaution to keep the cholera out of this
country next year. Still democratic mem
bers OF the House are non n-committal. One
member jokingly said, when | spoke to
him about II: "Oh, you cannot expect me
to express myself until know what Mr.
Cleveland thinks about 1t; am not going
to spoil my chance for patronage by op-
posing his wishes
In that joke lies the real cause Of demo
cratic reticence. Even sensible democrats
like Representative Breckenridge, Of
kentucky, seem to have the idea that Mr.
Cleveland has been elected to be the auto.
cratic ruler of all branches OF the govern
ment from this time on. This is what
Breckinridge said on the subject: 1.-The
people Of this country have not only de-
clared what they wanted done, but they
have also declared that they want it done
by Mr.. Cleveland (this is rough on the
democratic Congress-. think therefore
that Mr.. Cleveland should be premier as
we'll as President. and that he should pre-.
pare tariff bill to be sent to Congress in
lieu of mere message of recommenda-
ton. Was worse rot ever spoken outside
the walls Of an insane asylum? Why not
abolish Congress and make Mr. Cleveland
Gar, at once? What can be expected Of
the ordinary democrat when men like
Breckinridge, who is lawyer and pre-
sumably familiar with the Constitution
of the United States, deliberately proposes
to override the clause in that Constitution
which distinctly says that all revenue
measures shall originate with the House
Of Representatives?