The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-08-05
WASHINGTON LETTER
(Fr0m oar regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. July 2Stli, 1898.

WASHINGTON. July 18th, 1893.
Senator Carlisle is the only member
OF tie cabinet at present in Washing
ton, and he has been confined to his
house for several days this week by
rheumatism, but next week President
Cleveland, ard the other members of
the cabinet will be here, as they have
been notified that the President wishes
to submit tho first draft of his message
to Congress to them and have a full
and free discussion of It's contents be-
fore it is finally completed.
Attempts are numerous at trying to
guess the nature of the Presidents
coming message, but it is nonsense
for anyone outside of the cabinet and
a few close personal friends of Mr..
Cleveland-and they won't talk about
ito pretend to know. The mere
fact thai he will send another message
to Congress at the opening of the reg
ular session, even should the extra
session remain in session until then,
and the general belief is that it
will makes it ~presumable that his mes
sage to the extra session will be con-
fined to what it was called to legislate
upO~n-finance. Aud if this presump-
ton be correct it will not Indicate any
change of opinion as to the necessity
for tariff and other reforms advocated
by the democratic party during the
last campaign. Merely that circnm-
stances have made it necessary to take
up nance first.
Speaking of reform, Commissioner
Lochren is going right ahead in the
programme mapped out for the refor-
nation of the pension roll, notwith-
standing the howl that is being raised
by a few Congressman whose constit-
uents have been suspended. 1t has
already been discovered that, in addi-
ton to the large number of pensions
granted under the last administration
without proper examination of the APP
plicant and his papers, there were
thousands granted illegally, knowing
~ and wilfully. Only those granted
under the act of 1890 have yet been
examined and no others can be taken
up for a long time. The suspensions
up to date number nearly 5000, and
if the same average be kept up in the
entire 100000 pensions granted under
that law the total number of suspen-
sions will be something like $4,000.
The examination is very thorough and
systematic and only those cases show
ing clearly some irregularity or doubt
of the right of the pensioner to re-
ceive the amount he has been getting
are suspended, and few, if any, of
those who get restored to the roll up
on denomination will get as large a
pension as they have been receiving.
Senator Gorman," remarked a
friend of the man who has proven his
right by his ability on many occasions
to be classed as a democratic leader,
"never announces through the news
papers his future polit cal intentions,
and that fact is SO well known that
he very seldom takes the trouble to
contradict the newspaper stories which
appear from time to time %purporting
to give in detail what he intends to do
in case this or that happens in the
Senate. 1t is safe to say, however,
that his future actions, like those of
the past, will always be such as will
meet the approval of a majority of
good democrats, and to say also that
any advance announcements of them
which may appear may always be set
down as merely guesses."
One of the most encouraging signs
to those who expect financial relief
from the legislation of the extra SEES
sion is the fact that while most Of the
democratic Senators and Representa-
tives have ideas of their own as to the
legislation needed, a majority of them
Express themselves as willing to heal
the arguments of those WHO advocate
other ideas, and to be open to convic-
ton if tile other fellows argument be
the best. If this feeling be shared by
a majority of the democrats in both
House and Senate, the difficulty OF
reaching some satisfactory basis 0!
compromise will be greatly lessehed
But it is going to take time to bring
about that result, and wise people will
not expect immediate Congressional
action on this important subject
Good legislation is better than hurried
legislation, and | lave yet to find the
first democrat who does not firmly be.
lieve that good legislation will be one
of the c~ertainties of the Fifty third
Congress.
Hon. Duncan S. Walker. chairman
of the committee on invitations of the
centennial celebration of the layinn OF
the corner stone of the Capitol build.
ing. to be held September 18th next,
this week sent invitations to the gov
errors of all the states and their staff
to participate. President Cleveland
has promised to introduce the princi-
pal speaker at the celebration, who
will be Mr.. William Writ Henry. o