San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-12-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our ReguIar CORRESPONDENT. !


WASHINGTON, Dec. 6. 1872.
The presidents annual message to
congress, although, owing TO the sad
and sorrowful 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 its be-
ginning to its end, mailing, as 1t fig
uratively does, the banner inscribed
with Protection to Americans" at
Home and Abroad: Reciprocity, and
Honest Money" to the mast head of
the good old republican ship, which
still proudly floats, Notwithstanding
the severity of the storm through
which she passed last month. The
record of this administration, o synop.
sis of which Is given in the mes.
sage, has never been surpassed
In times of peace, and is
not likely to be soon. Every republi-
can who reads this message, and
every one should, will feel proud that
he voted for Benjamin Harrison, who
tells him, between the lines, that sit
Is better to be right than to be presi.
dent" and in the same way repeats
the command of the famous sailor
Don't give up the ship" The mess
age will not 60 to congress until to-
morrow, but I was favored with an
advance copy.
The opening of Congress occurred
without any specially notable incl.
dent. The senate took up, under q
resolution adopted at the last session,
the anticipation bill as the "un-
finished business" This bill has
brought strong lobby to Washing.
ton, which is plenuifully supplied
with cash by the spectators whose
business as dealers in options on
grain, cotton, etc., will be ended if
the bill becomes law, and this lobby
has been INDUCING in q game of
brag about how easy that bill will be
defeated. Senator Washburn, who
is in charge of the bill, is confident
that it will be passed and become q
law. He says nothing but sharp par.
liamentary 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 at the last session. Last
week Mr.. Holman, chairman of the
committee on appropriations, stated
that at least one of the regular appro-
pristion bills would be ready to be re-
ported to the House today; but none
of them were ready, and according
to the stories around the Ca
pitol there is q regular cat and
dog fight among the democrats
on the several committees hav-
Ing charge of appropriations as to
where the cutting that Mr.. Holman
insists shall be done is to begin. Each
fellow wants the cutting to be done
in all the bills except the particular
one in which he is interested. 1t
looks now as If the heaviest cutting,
proportionately, is to be done in the
District of Columb ia bill, one of the
smallest of the regular appropriation
bills, and also the one having the
smallest political pull"
1t is difficult to get q democratic
mem Der of the house to commit him
self or for or against anything. Take
the matter of immigration, for In
5tduCC, wlth pOAibiCo ShOoiu
have nothing whatever to do. The
senate committee on immigration
will, in q report on its, investigation
of the subject, recommend that q bill
be passed suspending all immigrs-
ton for one year, and Surgeon Gen.
eral Wyman, of the marine hos.
pital service, who Is In charge
of the national quarantine against
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 -committal. One
member jokingly said, when spoke
to him about it: "Oh, you cannot ex-
pect me to express myself until
know what Mr.. Cleveland thinks
about 1t; I am not going to spoil my
chance for patronage by opposing his
wishes"
In that Joke lies the real cause OF
democratic reticence. Even sensible
democrats like Representative Brock
lnridge, of Kentucky, seem to have
the idea that Mr.. Cleveland has been
elected to be the autocrat ruler of all
branches of the government from
this time on. This is what Breckin-
ridge said on the subject: 1.-THE peo-
pie 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).
1 think, therefore, that Mr.. Cleve-
land should be premier as well as
and that he should
prepare tariff bill to be
sent to congress in lieu of mere
of recommendation. Was
worse rot ever spoken outside the
walls of an insane asylum? Why not
abolish congress and make Mr.. Cleve-
land Gar, at once? What can be