Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1893-02-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
New States Soon to be Admitted to
the Union.
Secretary Fosters Report on Condition
Of the Treasury.
tFrom our Regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. 81, 1913.
! The adjournment of Congress, an,
consequent loss of a day by both Hous
and Senate, on account of the death O
some man who is or has been promi
nent in public life has been so frequen
at this session that the abolishment O.
the custom is being seriously talked O
in Congressional circles. Said ex
Speaker Reed on the subject: ut strikes
me that this adjournment business i,
carried too far. 1t is all we'll enough
in certain instances, but in others it i.
simply hollow mockery that takes the
form of an excuse to shirk work" Rep
resentative Burroughs, of Michigan
said: THE meaning of these frequent
adjournments is that the House does
not intend to do any business at this
session. But they do no harm, for the
Democratic party is always safe when
it is going to funeral" Representa-,
tive Stewart, of Illinois. asks this CO.
nundrum: IF we adjourn twice week
on account of somebody's Is death when
the population is only 6O,OOO,OOO, how
many deys will we be in session when
there are are ten times sixty million
and the prominent men increase in pro-
portion?" The question may be shirked
now, but sooner or later it will ha We to
be met and settled, aud there is only
one common sense way to settle it.
New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah
may come into the Union as full fledg-
ed States. So said caucus of Repub-
lican 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 Anti op-
tion 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 Su-
prene Court caused by the death of
Justice Lamar, but leave it for the
Democratic President to fill. The prin-
cipal argument advan ced in 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 filling this vacancy this ar
gument would decide him in favor of
making the appointment, for there new
er was a period when it was more nec-
essary to have a majority of that Court
made up of men who have Republican
ideas of law than for the four year be-
ginning the 4th of next March. There
is no telling what the Democratic Ad-
ministratiOn and Congress might be
tempted to do if they knew there was a
States rights Democratic Supreme
Court topass upon the constitutionality
of their acts. Your correspondent vio-
lates no confidence in making the pos
tive statement that the President will
promptly fill the vacancy. and from
talks with Republican Senators it is
evident that the man nominated will
be promptly confirmed, 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 Illi-
nois, a prominent member of the House
Coinage Committee, said concerning the
agitation for the repeal of the Sherman
silver law: II know that three fOurths,
and l believe four fifths, of the Repub-
licans in the House are opposed to any
repeal at this session and will vote
against it. Nothing can be done. The
matter will go over for the new admin
istration to deal with"
Four rStates-Indiana, Montana, Wis
consin and Oregon-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 a messenger
for the duplicate returns, but after a
conference with Attorney General Mil
Ter, and careful examination of the
law, it was 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
sengers have been sent.
Secretary Fosters report of the con-
dition of the Treasury up to December
81, 1892, and his estimates of the prob
able receipts and expenditures of the
for the remainder of the
present fiscal and for the fiscal year
July l.. 1898, called for by
resolution of the House. has been placed
before the House Ways and Means
1t does not, differ from
his annual report materially, except