Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-02-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.

punctured the Canadian reciprocity
balloon by extracting the information
from Sir Julian Pauncefete, the Brit
sort of steerer for the Canadian Com
missioners ever since their arrival
that they had no authority to negoti-
ate a treaty, and only came here to
learn how much this government
would be willing to grant, if the Brit
ish government should send properly
authorized commissioners. Secretary
Blaine told them that it was but a
waste of time to continue the confer
ences, under such conditions. The
British minister has been exchanging
cablegrams with his home govern
ment, but it has not transpired
whether it was in regard to this Ca
madam business or the Behring Sea
commission, which is in session here.
1t is believed that there is a connec
ton between the two things, and that
the British government in spite of it's
many failures in the past has been
again trying to pull the wool over
Uncle Sans eyes.
1t is stated here that the movement
in the House to rush the considera-
ton of the Bland free coinage bill,
which was favorably reported and
placed on the calendar last week, is
being engineered by the antiMill
democrats in the hope that Mills OPP
position to it's present consideration
may prevent his being elected to the
Senate by the Texas legislature. 1t
is not certain what the House will do,
but the chances rather favor the pas
sage of the bill, as the petition ask
ing the committee on Rules to make
continuous order for it's cOnsidera-
ton has already received the sigma
lures of a hundred and twenty demo-
Gratis and the nine peoples party men.
The nomination of Representative
McKenna of California, to be Judge
of the Circuit Court, is we'll spoken of
by every body.
A more striking exemplifcation of
the absnrdity of the cheese pairing
policy of the democrats in the House
is the military academy annual ap-
preparation bill, the first one to get
through that body. By striking out
such necessary items as those provid
ing for improving the defective
plumbing of the barracks of the en-
listed men, a new gas plant in place
of the old and worn out now in use
and new buildings, and by reducing
other items, such as taking 800 off
the annual salary of the gardener, the
bill was reduced in it's total to about
$4,000 less than the one passed last
year. Mr.. Otis, a Farmers Alliance
member from Kansas, tried to Guido
the most parsimonious democrat,
whose proposition to strike out the
item of $50 to purchase soap for the
cadets was voted down, by seriously
proposing that the items for the pur
chase of saddle blankets for the ca
diets be struck out and that every
year at the close of Congress the old
carpets on the floor of the House and
Senate be taken up and shipped to
West Point to be cut up for saddle
blankets
The democrats of the House spend
the greater portion of their time in
wrangling with each other. The ma
jorities of the House committee on
I'm migration and that on Foreign At
fairs are in the midst of lively row,
the question being which committee
is properly entitled to Jurisdiction of
matters relating to the Chinese ques-
ton. The first named committee is
ahead, as it has reported and placed
on the calendar a bill prohibiting
Chinese immigration. Beginning this
week, the Senate and House commit
tees on immigration will hold Sc
ries of joint sessions for the purpose
of hearing all parties who wish to talk
on the subject of immigration.
The House after being scolded by
Mr.. Holman and having adopted a
resolution offered by him limiting the
cost to $4,000, adopted Representative
Hoar's resolution directing the COM
mittee on Manufactures to investi-
gate the ''sweating'' system of tene-
ment house labor.
Senator Hills authority over the
Tammany members of the House was
plainly shown on Saturday when he
ordered them by telegram to report
to him in New York city at once
Saturday afternoon had been previ-
ously set aside by resolution of the
House for eulogies on the late Tam
many representative, Gen. Spinola,
but honors to a dead man did not