Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-02-16
WASHINGTON LETTER


Mr. Cleveland is certainly trying
hard to dictate legislation TO the pres
ent Congress. There is good reason
for the assertion that the proposed
radical amendments to the pension
laws. which were when first offered
voted down by the House committee
on Appropriations, and this week
adopted by that committee, are the
result of direct orders from him. Mr..
Holman joined tho republican mem
beers OF the committee in protesting
and voting against these amendments,
which are to be offered to the Pension
appropriation bill when it comes up in
the House, but they were outvoted.
These amendments are first, for the
transfer of the Pension bureau to the
War department and the detail of
Army officers TO serve as Commission
err and deputy Commissioners; second,
to suspend all pensions paid to pen
sioners not disabled by wounds who
have an annual income In excess of
5000 year; third to suspend all pen
sions paid to widows of soldiers who
were not married to them within five
years after the close of the war; fourth,
to suspend all pensions. except those
for total disabilities. now paid to alien
non-residents. Whatever may be
done by the next Congress it may be
set down as certain that these amend
ments will never be adopted by this
Congress.
Even the 'gall'' of Tammany Con-
gressmen has to give way to universal
public sentiment. This was shown
when the Quarantine bill as originally
passed by the Senate came up in the
House this week. The bill was passed,
notwithstanding the attempt of Kill
gore and Antony, of Texas, to filibus-
buster against its being voted upon.
A majority of the House judiciary
committee has at last agreed to the
report of the Homestead investigation
which was prepared by Representa-
tive Gates, chairman of the sub-com-
mittee which made the investigation.
This report will not make enjoyable
reading for democratic editors who
made the Homestead troubles the basis
for partisan editorials during the late
campaign, for it says that the tariff
had nothing to do with the troubles,
and that the strikers were the agrees.
ors. 1t also condemns the use of the
Pinkertons.
The ease with which two or three
men tie up the House whenever they
are so disposed has created sentiment
which makes il certain that the rules
adopted by the next House will per-
NIT the majority of the House to do
business when it wishes to and to
squelch tilibustering.
1t is now certain that the appropria-
tions of this Congress will be at least
$50, 900, 000 i'm excess of those made by
the last republican Congress, which,
by the way, is no longer sneeringlv re-
ferred to by the democrats as the
''billion dollar Congress. Now these
gentlemen see that Secretary Charles
Foster was right when he said: This
is billion dollar country"
Extra session talk is now heard ev
erywhere, and unless Mr.. Cleveland
made his threat about the failure to
repeal the silver law for bluff, one
of his first official acts will be to issue
n proclamation calling an extra ses
sion. A prominent democrat is authority
for the statement that it will depend
upon POI. of the House and Senate
of the next Congress.
Both the whiskey trust and the
Panama Canal investigations are in
what may be called the promising"
stage, that is. they promise startling
revelations, but so far none have been
made.
The Hawaiian negotiations are still
going on, but as they are secret there
Is nothing new to report.