The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-12-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
TALK OF OPENING GOVERN
NIENT BUILDINGS OF EDU-
CATIONAL CHARACTER
ON SUNDAY.
And the Scheme Proposed By George
Washington OF National Uni
Ne.s'ty it sThought Will
Now ut Last Culmi-
nate in Fact.

|
cussiOn this time will be over bill intro
duced during the long session by Congress
man DurbOrOw of Chicago and which went
| over without action, providing that the
| Washington monument, the national mu-
| scum and the Smithsonian institute be kept
open for the admitance of the public on Sun
| day and one of two evenings each week.
Mr. DurbOrOw was one of the strongest ad-
| vOcates of the Worlds Fair Sunday opening
| and is one of those who do not believe that
harm will result to those who are allowed
! to visit these interesting educational nSti-
| tutiOnS on the Sabbath day. He recognizes
| the fact that many people are so situated
| that they cannot visit them at any other
| time and believes in opening the buildings
| on the only day they have at their disposal.
lie says that since he first introduced his
all parts of the country and from all classes
and conditions of people. Many of them
have denounced the scheme in unmeasured
and bitter terms, but the large majority of
them, he says, have spoken in the highest
praise of the plan. 1t is understood that the
cOmittee on public buildings and grounds,
to which the measure was referred, approve
its provisions and will favOrably report it.
The main objection, and it may defeat the
bill, is the expense. 1t is estimated that
the cost OF opening WILDE about$2OO,OOO
per annum, most of which will be neces-
sary for the lights for the evening openings.
1t Is possible that this provision may be
stricken from the bill and the buildings
opened on Sunday only.
TO INSURE POSTAGE.
This is truly an age of insurance, hardly
Il day passing but what some new plan is
evolved and foisted upon the public Among
the latest is scheme contained in a biil
introduced, by request, by Representative
Hayes Of Iowa, establishing mail nsur-
ance. The bill contemplates the insurance
of all the fourth class mail matter, with
regular postage prepaid, on the payment Of
the following rates.
Five dollars in value or fraction thereof
Zoe; for additional value up to and includ
ing So 15c; to and including 49, 15c; to
and including $50 3Oc and to and including
500, 4Oc.
The payment of these rates is to insure
the sender of the mail against all loss and
pay in full for all matter lost or destroyed.
UNCALLED FOR EULOGIES.
1t seems rather curious that the stock of
undistrlbuted euloges upon the lives of de-
parted members of the house and senate
should show larger number undistributed
relating to some Of the most popular and
prominent members than those less widely
known. The annual statement of the door
keeper of the house, showing the number Of
documents still in the folding room, contains
a list Of about a hundred names of deceased
and opposite each name the num-
berS OF copies of the eulOgies, delivered in
the house and senate upon their lives.
in stock no more than half dozen copies,
the supply in cases OF the most popular
seems the largest by far. There
are of the eulOgies upon the late Senator
Beck no less than 3135 copies remaining
unused; Representative S. s. Cox, who was
so popular everywhere, 1853; Representa-
tive Gay, who was one of the weathiest
members of the house and well known in
his own state especially, 1850: Senator STAN
ford, 5371; Senator Hearst, 4321; Richard NJ.
Townsend of Illinois, 1854; while in the
cases of such modest and almost forgotten
men as Morton, Parsons, Lay, Allen and
Updcgraff, the number remaining uncallCd
for Is less than dozen.
MONEY FOR PENSIONS.
Mr.. O'Neil of Massachusetts,, chairman of
the subcommittee Of the house appropriation |
having in charge the pension |
appropriation bill, believes that by the year
1899 the pension roll will have fallen below
''When General Raum was commissioner
IF pensions he estimated that the maximum
appropriation would be reached in 1894,
md that it would amount to. $1SS,000,000.
mover about that point for three years, when
It would begin to fall off General Raum
was right so far. as the time was concerned,
cut not as to the amount. Our apprOpria-
ion for the fiscal year 1894 was $1G5, 000,-
100, but we spent Of that amount only
S141 100000. The appropriation for 1895
was $150,OO0OOO. Of which S14O.0OO,O00 will
De spent. For the fiscal year 1896 we have
S140,OOO,0OO, and that amount
will be needed. As matter of fact the reg
liar output for pensions at present Is about |
$3.50 100000. but we estimate about 0,0O0,- |
MOO as first payments, as they are called. |
What | mean by first payments is the |
mount which accrues to the credit of the |
claimant from the date of filing his appli- |
'ation until it Is allowed by the office. 1t
not infrequently happens that these first |
payments cover a period of two years"
A NATIONAL UNIVERSITY.
There was discussed in the senate on Fri |
lay of this week bill which, if it finally
becomes law, will form the browning glory
If this enlightened and educational age.
The bill referred to was introduced by Sena-
or Kyle of South Dakota on the 9th of last
February, was referred to a select COM
nittee headed by Senator HuntOn of Viz
sinia and was fayorably and unanimously
reported back by that committee, which was
of Senators Hunton, Jones (Ark)
Purple, sherman, Proctor, Washburn, Kyle
md DOlph. The bill, briefly, provides FOR
he - establishment of the University of
he United States"
Although the present bill is practically
new one, it is nevertheless a very old idea
clothed in modern habilimentS. In fact, the
dea is over 100 years old and students or
history will recall the fact that 1t emanated
from the broad and fertile mind of no less
1 parsonage than George Washington IN
1918 mt his camp at Cambridge. a year even
before the Declaration of independence
made its appearance. In this connection, IL
strange coincidence is noted After wash
ingtOn'S elevation to the presidency ne
made the same suggestion to congress ana
as a site for the proposed
university a tract of land located in what Is
now the District of Columbia, and has here
tofore been occupied by the national obser-
vatOry. This same tract is also designated
in Senator Kyle's bill as the proposed loca-
ton. General Washington also rendered TO
the government in behalf of the university
"A sum of money which it is calculated, had
it been iudciOusy invested, would nave
now amounted to the neat figure of S4,OOO-
600. The same plan was subsequently IN
dorscd by several presidents including John
Adams, jefferson, Madison, Monroe, John
Quincy Adams, jackson, Grant and Hayes.
Several times the proposition assumed deh-
mite shape, but from various causes failed OF
cOnSummatiOn. :,
In 1872 a similar bill was introduced III
both branches and received the unanimously
favorable report Of the house committee on
education composed of Representatives
George f. Hoar (NIass.), Mark ii. Dunnell
CNIinnO John Il. Storm Pa.), and Hosea
w. Parker IN. H. Another introduced in
1890 in the senate by Senator Edmunds,
likewise was favorably reported by COM
mittcc comprising Senators Edmunds, Sher-
man. ingalls, (<an). Blair IN. h. Dolph,
Harris, Butler, Gibson CLa), ana BARBOUR
Thus it will be seen that although two
such bills have been offered and both faNor-
ably reported in the body in which they
were introduced, yet both have failed OF
that in both cases action was impossible on
them until such late day in the session that
their success was utterly precluded. Inc
chances are that such will not be the case
with Senator Kyle'S bill; it is earnestly 10
bp nODp1 NOT. rate,