The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-12-21
Washington Letter.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, December 17.-Once more the
Democrats of the House are giving the DEM
ocratic Senators a lesson in how to legislate.
While the majority in the Senate has allowed
itself to be practically tied up by the minority,
the majority in the House has been doing what
they were sent to Washington to do-attending
to business. Having heard about everything
that could be said for and against the plan of
currency reform submitted by Secretary Car
Isle, the House committee on Banking and
Currency decided that while the plan was not
entirely satisfactory to financial extremists,
either gold or silver men, it was better as
whole than any other plan yet brought for
ward, and more likely to be supported by con-
sentative men as sort of compromise. Hav-
ing arrived at that conclusion, the committee
determined to report the bill prepared by Sec
rotary Carlisle without recommendation, leav-
ing the House free to amend the bill if it sees
fit.
The committee on Rules has mapped out
plan for the consideration of the bill, which
will be taken up at once and pushed to a vote.
1t is already announced that the Republicans
will offer two amendments for the purpose of
trying to defeat the bill. The first will be to
strike out the State bank feature, which is the
feature that is most liked by Southern Demo-
Gratis The next amendment offered will be
one providing for an immediate issue of bonds
large enough to redeem all the greenbacks and
Treasury notes of 1890, which may now be
used to take gold from the Treasury. Present
indications are, however, that the Democrats
will vote together to defeat any and all amend
ments, and that the bill will pass the House as
reported from the committee.
The Dockery Commission, which recommend
ed numerous changes in the government de-
partments in Washington, all tending too reduc-
ton of expense and the expediting of business,
is now looking into the land offices throughout
the country. Among the proposed changes in
that branch of the public service may be men-
toned the substitution of a law clerk for a re-
ceiver in every land office; the abolition of
nearly the whole law branch of the land office,
and making the decision of the Land Commits
soner final, so far as the department of the In
terror is concerned; At present cases may be
a ln6 10 nTr1iSa al fn fba
tary of the Interior. 1t is claimed that the
proposed changes will. if adopted, be of great
benefit to those having business with the Land
Office, besides saving about 100000 year.
Immediately after the late elections a cores
pondent, more as a joke than for any other
reason, sent story out of Washington to the
one of their preachers be elected Chaplain of
the next House. The story was widely COM
mented on, and has resulted in the production
of negro candidate for Chaplain of the House,
although there is no reason to suppose that
such a thing had ever been thought of before
that little story was written; There are mum.
erous reasons why the Republicans in the next
House may hesitate about turning that negro
candidate down.
Although the Senate has voted against
cloture rule, the idea of obtaining one has not
been abandoned by those Democratic Senators
who are anxious for the Senate to do some
thing more than pass the APPROPRIATION bills at
this session. Senator Vest is devoting all the
zeal of convert to the idea, and Senator Hill,
who has always favored cloture, is doing some
thinking on the subject that may result in
new assault on the rules. If anything is done
1t must be done quickly. as the control of the
Senate will no longer be in the hands of the
Democrats after the vacancies from the three
northwestern States have been filled by the Re-
publican legislatures of those States, and the
mixed legislature of North Carolina has elected
u successor to Senator Jarvis, who holds his
seat by gubernatorial appointment. 1t is ex-
pected that these four Senators will take their
seats before the end of January.
Since Representative Holman announced
that he might write book, embracing his Con-
gressional recollections, after his retirement
from the House, his mail has been filled with
requests that he do so and nearly every men,
Der of both House and Senate has made the
same request verbally. Few men now living
could write more interesting book of Con-
gressional "reminiscences than Mr.. Holman, and
it is to be hoped that he will do SO. c. A. S.