The morning times., 1896-06-09
OUTRAGEOUS LEGISLATION

Tue present Congress has shown an I'M
pleasant disposition to be very Diggardly
in its appropriations for the District of
Columbia. The back-door electric legis-
lation, successfully rushed through the
House of Representatives yesterday adds
insult to injury. This amendment, tackled
on TO the conferees' report on the District
bill. will, If finally enacted. foist an ire
sponsible, illegal, trolley tainted, dishon-
orably- begottcn, monoLo y-nursed, ana
street disrupting concern on municipality
and District already suffering too much
at the hands of its Congressional guardians.
TIE Times refers TO the Potomac Light and
Power Company and the passage by the
House of the amendment granting it
franchise and privileges.
outside OF all questions of municipal
welfare the ultimate success OF such out
rageousiy sneaking methods as were used
by the official steerers of the scheme
seems impossible from the standpoint of
parliamentary probity. Since when do
conferees originate legislation?
1t appears that the Congressional gen
tlemen whose interests were in the Trues-
dell Eikins- Widener Dolan Crosby Lieb
amendment were perfectly willing TO re-
cede from their economical ideason several
contested items in the District bin in order
that this pet pernicious project might be
pushed TO a vote. 1t was then brought
into The House at time when minority
was attempting to filibuster and majority
was attempting to proceed with the bust
ness OF the day. For the credit OF the
House as u whole the vote should not be
considered as indorsinG the opinion of the
majority on the question at issue.
The Times stands for cheap electric light
and power, and does not want the District
put in the hands of mammoth monopoly
whose teutacles grasp over fifty cities. When
the Senate conferees submit the District
bill today it is 10 te hoped that this tail
piece OF new legislation will again be ruled
out or order or voted down. once and for all.
NO MORE YEARS OF GROVER.
Washington correspondent telecraphed
his paper, a day or TWO ago, that ''Presi-
dent Cleveland is Disguised with politics,
public life, politicians, the people. and
everything. and he sometimes expresses
his opinions in language mcre forcible than
elegant L shall be glad to get away
from Washington, he said recently to
caller; the whole country seems determined
to use me for a spittcou.' " II the Presi-
dent is correctly reported, he was guilty
of an ineIegance Of expression which even
his rudeSt critic would hardly have en-
ployed But if lie really feels that the ex
pectoratiou If which he thinks he has been
the objective point was SO general as lie
says. it should occur to him, one would
think, that there must he good cause fer
such manifestation on the part Of 1.-The
whole country" and that if he is dis
gusted with the people, that sentiment is
probably rot all one-sided. The American
people do net, al rule, become disguised
with the man they have elected President.
Remarkable a : are such utterances
emanaung from the chief ma giStrate of the
nation, they excite less wonder coming from
Grover Cleveland than they would have
caused if made by any one of his pre-
deceSsors. The trouble with Mr.. Cleveland
is his absurd intolerance of criticism.
More opinionated man than he never &C.
cupied the White House. He applies to his
personality the doctrine of infa!libiity,
THE king can do no wrong" and expands
into" the king can think no wrong" Hchas
set himself up on the altar of his egotism
| and worships with absolute and unyielding
idolatry before the image OF his Il am.
seif-sufficiency is shown in the personnel
of his Cabinet. The members of it are not
| his counsellors as have been the Cabinet
! Officers of other Presidents; they are
just what their Official designation ex-
| presses his secretaries, and their sole
| function is to record and execute his will.
Cleveland is the whole Cabinet in his own
person. There never was President who
tried so hard to make the . L etat cest
MOI of Louis XIV reality in the United
States as he has done.
Not only in the Cabinet circle, however,
has he sought to be supreme. He has
set himself against he expressed wishes OF
expressed through their representatives
in Congress, but also those to which they
gave utterance iu public assemblies and
through the public press. Notable instances
of this are his course with reference 10
la wall and the expressions
OF Congress, the people aud the press in
relation to Cuba. In the former case he
had to yield al last, and it is safe TO say
that this fact constitutes one of the causes
for his being ''disgusted with politics,
politicians, the people and everything y
AS 10 his being glad to get way from wash
ington, some people will be inclined TO be,
lieve that he is altogether disingeuuous
when he says so. If the grapes were not
so far out of his reach he might not regard
| them as so extremely sour