The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-11
MOSTLY SHARPERS.
District Democrats or "Dis-
trict Republicans"
Are Looked Upon as Sharks or
Spectators
By THE CONGRESSMEN.
There Are Ill Bills on the Dis
trict of Columbia.

WASHINGTOS, April IL Especial. -
The committee on the District Of Column
bia has Ill bills before it and only one
fight on it's hands. Several of the bills are
the same old chestnuts which provide for
a radical change in the system of govern
ment and viii follow the usual course
that is, q few-friends of the District, as they
call themselves, will be allowed to make
addresses before the committee, and then
the bills viii sleep the sleep that knows
no waking The average congressman has
q deep seated distrust of the average talker
for the District of Columbia, and the rack
ct of the latter is usually effective in the
reverse order. Ono member of the house
puts it thus These fellows who call
themselves District Democrats or District
Republicans are mostly looked on as claim
agents, spectators, all around sharks and
politicians for revenue only Just now
they are considerably stirred up about the
trial of Colonel f c. AinsvEorth for his
alleged response bility in the matter of the
Ford's the2ter disaster, and that is more
important to them than all the great con-
Germs of the nation
Local Washington Matters.
The bill, however, on which there is q
fight is that to allow the Washington, Al
exandria and Mount Vernon railroad to
cross the tract recent ~ reclaimed from the
Potomac mud flats sfzsa Washington board
to the bill, but has lately divided on the
question, and there are the usual charges
of improper influences. Other railroads
are seeking other routes across the city and
are, of course, anxious to have this bill go
through and establish a precedent. And
So with the fight of citizens against the
railroads, the factions in the board Of trade
and the attorneys and strikers for various
interests, they have got up a fight which
bids fair to knock down all the brush in
the suburbs
Another bill in which the workers for
the District take q lively interest is that in
troduced by Senator Mcpherson to incor-
porate the American College of Musicians
to be located in this city. The bill is some
what paternalist in character, enacting
that the college shall act upon the request
of the secretaries Of war and navy in pro-
viding for the practice of music in the gov
eminent service and for a sort of civil serv-
ice examination of Dandmasters and must
clans for all the soldiers and sailors. As
Washington Is making heroic efforts to
become the great art and educational cen
ter of the United States, it is quite in
keeping that measures should be begun to
make it also the musical capital of the ma
ton Incidentally the anger stirred up by
President Cleveland's appointment Of the
colored politician of Kansas TO be recorder
of deeds in this District has added greatly
TO the prevailing racket, and it really seems
as if the usual dull monotony of the Dis
trict committees rooms viii be broken for
the next two or three weeks.
Things Quickly Forgotten.
1t goes without saying that recent news
from the Pennsylvania coke regions has
excited great interest in the rooms of the
committee on labor, and the general talk,
both of the committee and of other mem
bers most interested in such subjects, en-
phaSizeS the growth of the opinion that
the relations of government to labor ques-
political concern In a recent converse
ton one member said: & 1t is the strangest
point in American character that a trou-
bic is SO soon forgotten when it is gone.
Our people seem to glide along with an
easy. happy 90 lucky optimism which
makes them believe that whatever bad has
happened once will not happen again
And yet it IS a fact that we have civil war
or something very near to it in some states
of this Union about half the time. People
talk about the prosperity of two three
years ago and have already completely for
gotten that there was a miners war in
Tennessee against the convict 1aborers a
war between the Pinkertons and strikers
aJ Homestead, q war between the cattle
men and the srustlers' in Wyoming, a gen
eral battle royal and slaughter of scab
miners in Idaho and almost a war at Buff
falO.
''A1l these things, / say, are almost en-
tirely forgotten, and here today two states
have been the very verge of civil war
one over labor and the other over whisky
and yet if the thing can be quieted down
and smoOthed over it will be out of the
minds of the people in q month. Now, as
to whisky, it ism in my line to deal with
that; but, as to labor, all these McGann
measures ought to be considered at once.
And 1 honestly believe that if you could
put it to vote the people would give an
overwhelming majority in favor of stop
ping all immigration for seven years
What's the sense in bringing q half mil
lion or three-quarters OF a million people
here every year when our own people are
fighting for employment As Captain Cut
tie said, 'Awas5 O such nonsense -
A Long Debate Predicted
After listening TO such sentiments in the
house and noting the growing disposition
toward adopting radical measures it is
amusing to go to the senate and
observe the awful elaboration with which
it is approaching a vote on the tariff TAX
ing the average of speeches in the days al
ready consumed and computing ON the
basis of the senators who are already on
the vice president memorandum, the in
dications are for not less than 90 days de
bate But this is on the basis of six days
in a week The spare time of the com
inittee on patents has recently been taken
up by interesting discussions ON a resolu-
ton directing the committee to investigate
the Berliner patents held by the Bell Tele-
phone company, and incidentally this has
brought up the general relations OF that
company TO other claimants and the gov
eminent The attorney general has asked
the committee 60 delay action, the mat
ter in issue Is already before the courts in
q pending case The bill to reOrZanize the