The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-11
WATCHDOG HOLMAN
Sees No Reason Why Congress
Shouldn't Adjourn
By the Fifteenth of June
Anyhow.
THE TICKLE PUBLIC.
People Always CIamOrs for Con-
gress to Hurry.


Il really see no reason why We should rO5
adjourn by June 1 8, - said Judge Holman
in the course Off long conversation on his
legislative experience The work of the
house is well forward, and you must have
noticed that dilatory tactics have almost
entirely ceased, and with every days work
the rate of doing the work increases. As
to the senate, consider the trouble prac-
tically over The Democrats are united
and have n working majority, and as soon
as that faS- is made plain the Republicans
will not delay action merely for the sake
of delay. In fact, it will not do. The peo-
pie are getting very inpatient and are tax
ing unusual notice of every act that looks
like delay
Judge Holznan's Views.
''But is it not true that there is always
a great popular claf.lor about this time of
year for congress to hurry up and is not
the president usually most unpopular at
about this time in his administrations
''Oh, yes; that is the common expert
ence, though there arc really unusual and
very urgent reasons for the impatience of
the people just now. OF all the presidents
in my time Mr.. Lincoln was the most I'M
popular in the early part. of his admins
tration, although General Grant had two
bad spells, as we say in Indiana. There
was something very curious about that.
He suffered the usual storm of criticism
while the offices were being given out,
then got over it, was reelected and reached
sec
Ond term. -
AT what time in Lincoln's adninistra-
ton do you think he was most unpopu-
lar?''
about the time Secretary Cameron
went out of the cabinet all the evils seem
ed to come at once-unsuccessful war;
heavy taxation, disappointed office seekers
and laundering all around There was
time, it seemed to me, when the war Dem
ocrats were the only unwavering support
ers Mr.. Lincoln had a great deal of that
was due to Secretary Chase, whom we re
garded the brainy man of the cabinet,
and who was real and practical civil
service reforner. He maintained that I'M
der the peculiar circumstances every loyal
and efficient Democrat in Office should be
retained. You can imagine what storm
that raised at a time when the present
civil service system was scarcely thought
of and a new party had just come in, with
thousands of men hungry for the spoilS-
Many things occurred which have never
got into history, and one little episode in
Secretary Cameron career is worth relat-
ing even now. He appointed newspaper
man as a sort of general agent at New
York and intrusted him with, if I
member rightly, about $3.50, 600. The man
was honest enough, I suppose, but had no
business ability, made all sorts of queer
and useless purchases, mixed up the gov
crnment money with his own and drew
on it at random for the expenses of his pa
per. The natural result was a considerable
loss to the government at a time when we
needed every dollar.
An Interesting Episode.
well, there was committee appointed
by the house, consisting of Mr.. Dawes,
Mr.. Washburn, Mr.. Cox, myself and some
others, and we reported a strong resolution
condenning the secretary. When Mr..
Cameron entered the senate, he made it
the business of his life to get that resolu-
ton expunged. and he had what might be
called his regular agent in a member of
the house. Year after year that member
worked at it till there were, believe but
three four of us left who had anything
to do with 1t, and we finally consented to
the expunging resolution. The old man
came in from the senate and shook hands
with several whom he had not spoken to
for years, and when he came to Mr.. Cox
and me he broke down and cried-I will
not say cried like q child, but the tears
flowed freely. He was very much affected,
and, 1 said in advocating the expunging
resolution, L think his action had been
merely a mistake caused by the general
hurry burly of the times After Mr.. Cam
eron left the cabinet Mr. Lincoln began
to gain, slowly at first and afterward more
rapidly, until he became the idol of the
people. How far public opinion will react
in the case of Mr.. Cleveland it is of course
impossible to say, but it is certain that
president is at his worst in the second year
of his administration, and the chances are
always 10 to l that the party in power
will lose heavily at the middle term cleo
ton. To this general loss must this year
be added the losses caused by the hard
times, and so, as I have been urging for
some time, it is highly important for us to
get away from here carly, and am now
satisfied we shall do So
IAN III Wind" Etc.
Coxey has done one good thing for Wash
ington anyhow, though he did not intend
it. When he pitched his camp in south
Washington, many of the elite rode down
to take q look ut it and came back holding
their noses. 1t is jocularIy asserted that
some of the ladies on their return had
their carriages spriEklcd with cologne and
their clothing disinfected. The general
exclamation was, Great heavens, do hui
man beings actually live in that neighbor-
hood all summer And when it was an
swered that they did there was a loud cry
for improved sewerage and a general clean
ing up. When Coxey's men had got about
half the garbage removed from the lot and
the rest we'll stirred up, there came an av-
crage rain, and after it the sun came out
as hot on ordinary June day in the
latitude of New York Several men svore
they could smell the camp from the south
windows of the capitol, and one of the col
ored citizens of the vicinity gave this en-
phatic testimony: wv en de wedder does
dat erway down roun hyar, dey aim no lib
bin fit TO man er beeses. De sun jess cook
up all de dirt an crupshun, an no man er
er bad smell is till dey smells roun bout
hyar in sech time like dat. Desc hyar
white feilers is goin ter have wun mon
strous hard time oh hit wen de sun shine
agin, an yer better mock whut 1 tells
YER