Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-02-02
Washington Letter.
( From our Regular Correspondent
Washington. Jan. %. 1898

consequent loss of day in both House
and Senate, ON account of the death of
some man who is or has been promi-
nent in public life has been so frequent
at this session that the abolIshment of
the custom is being seriously talked Of
in Congressional circles. Said ex
Speaker Reed on the subject: 1T
strikes me that this adjournment bust
ness is carried to far. 1t is all well
enough in certain instances, but in
others it is simply a hollow mockery
that takes the form of an excuse to
shirk work" Representative Burrows,
of Michigan, said The meaning of
these frequent adiournments is that the
House does not intend to do any bust
ness at this session. But they do no
harm. for the democratic party is always
safe when it is going to funeral.
Representative Stewart, of Illinois, asks
this conumdrum: If we adjourn
twice a week on account of somebody's
death when the population Is only 60.
100000. how many days will we be in
session when there are ten times sixty
million and the prominent men increase
in proportion?' The question may be
shlked now, but sooner of later it will
have to be met and settled, and there is
only one common sense way to settle it.
New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah
may come into the Union as full
iedged states So said a caucus of
republican Senators held this week. 1t
has not been fully decided whether the
three Territories will be admitted in
one bill or each have a separate bill
The matter is to have the right of way
in the Senate after the Anticipation and
the Cherokee Strip" bill now before
the Senate, and the Nicaragua bill. yet
to be taken up, are disposed of. This
will throw it quite late in the session,
and may result in its failure, as the
Senate will be bound to give lots of its
time to the appropriation bills, none Of
which it has yet acted upon.
Cooler than the recent cold weather
is the proposition, seriously advanced
by the democrats, that the President
shall not fill the vacancy in the Supreme
Court caused by the death of Justice
Lamar, but leave it for the democratic
President to fill The principal argu-
ment advancedin support of this unique
proposition is that there are too many
republicans already on the bench of the
Supreme Court. If the President really
held doubts about the wisdom of filing
this vacancy this argument would de-
eide him in favoro of making the appoint
ment, for there never was period
when it was more necessary to have
majority of that Court made up of men
who have republican ideas of Consttu-
tional law than for the four years
beginning the A. of next March. There
is no telling what the democratic sd-
ministration and Congress might be
tempted to do if they knew there was
States rights. democratic Supreme
Court to pass upon the constitutionality
of their acts. Your correspondent vio-
lates no confidence in making the posi-
tive statement that the President will
promptly fill this vacancy, and from
takes with republican Senators it is
| evident that the man nominated will be
promptly confined, no matter how
much kicking the democratic Senators
may do. Providence has given the
President the opportunity to make it
reasonably certain that the Supreme
Court will remain republican, and it
will not be neglected.
Representative Abner Taylor. of Hi
nois. q prominent republican member
of the House Coinage committee, said
concerning the present agitation tor the
repeal of the Sherman silver law: Il
know that three-fourths, and believe
# 1OAA~ Va Nhp NkAbtiNttAo AZ tlA0
House are opposed to any repeal at this
session and will vote against it. Moth
ing can be done The matter will 60
over for the new administration to deal
with
Four States Indiana, Montana. Wis
consin and failed to send by
messenger duplicates Of the official
electoral vote forwarded by mail. 1t
was at first thought that in order to
comply with the law the Secretary Of
State would have to send messenger
for the duplicate returns. b9t after i
conference with Attorney General Mil
LEI. and careful examination Of the law
/. vas decided to be unnecessary as
one set of returns had been received
from each Of the States by mail Under
similar circumstances in The past mes
senoers have been sent