The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-04-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, April In, 1892.

Republicans are no longer doing
much talking about the "do nothing
House. Passing two tariff bills
tree wool and free cotton ties and bag
glng III one week is legislatng en-
tlrely too fast to suit the republicans,
and thea the subject of this legislation
is not a pleasant one for them to con.
template II recalls memories of the
cyclone of '8S, which makes their
knees shake at the prospects tor its
duplication next November.
1t has leaked out that prominent
republican members Of the Senate Fl
nance Committee wish to dodge the
tariff issue by smotherlng these bills in
comm ttee, that is not reporting them
back to the Senate at all they do
not wish to hear, nor to allow the
country to hear the tariff speech which
Senator Carlisle has prepared, nor
that of Senator Mills, which was not
delivered in the House, because the
Senator preferred it TO be his maiden
speech in the Senate.
Another reason for wishing to
smother these bills is that there are
several republican Senators who are
considered by the republican leaders
as shaky on the tariff question. Dem
ocratic Senators have served notice on
the republicans that they would resist
the smothering process, and intended
to have vote and discussion, which
would show the country where the
Senate stands, and that may result in
making the dodgers toe the mark.
Commissioner Raum's attempt to
draw the attention of the country
away from his own shortcomings and
mlsmanagement of the Pension bur
eau, because a man who had been en-
ployed by Representative Cooper, Of
Indiana, had used that gentleman's
signature tc obtain information from
the Pension Office, which he afterwards
sold for his own benefit to pension at
torneys, was fiat failure that Mr..
Cooper knew nothing about the trans
actions was fully shown by letters in
Raum's possession.
The ease with which a real estate
pool has been shuffling off deprecated
ground upon the government at tab.
ulous price is creating much talk. Last
year all Washington wondered why a
bill was smoothly passed locating the
Postoffice on the south side of Penn.
sylvania Avenue, in the most disrepu.
table part of the city. AT least three
prices were paid by Congress for the
ground; and now the engineers are
trying to find foundation on the site
in swamp and under water. A plan
has been devised to line the entire Gel
lar, covering square, with Portland
and cement, like cstern, and
pumping apparatus will be used to
keep it dry. The cellar will be placed
on 40 foot piles.
Last week bill was presented in
the Senate to build a new Patent Of
flee in the same locality and on like
foundation at cost of $500 900.
10 understand the situation, the read
er must know that the glory of Penn
sylvania Avenue has departed. The
low, unhealthful locality, subject to
overflow. has been abandoned for
higher ground, three blocks north, on
+. and G.. streets, where are now all
the best Stores and most of the govern
ment buildings. The Avenue proper
ty owners have formed a lobby to IN
load their declining real estate upon the
Government. They are assisted by the
largest paper here, which has plant
on the Avenue. by syndicate Of real
estate agents, who get a goodly slice
IN commissions, and it is surmlSed
that there are Members and Senators
whose hands are not clean. This is
more than local scandal. Every pa.
per IN the country should take editori
al cognizance of it, and every reader
should cut this article out and send it to
his member or Congress. There are
too many members of Congress who
vote gregariously, and hence ignorant
ly There should be no excuse for ig-
norance, when this bill comes to
vote.
Assistant Secretary Nettleton is the
guilty man. 1t Is he who was respon-
sible for the spending, without legal
authority, of large sum of money at
Ellis Island, money that was certainly
extravagantly lavished upon favored
contractors, and which later develop
ments may show to have been dishon-
estly expended. immigration affairs
have peen taken out of Nettleton's
hands, but that is not enough; every
member of the House and Senate
committees on Immigration, which are