The Press., 1896-06-04
Washington Letter.
Washington, June 1st, 1896.

Washington, June 1st, 1896.
 The end of the session is in sight This will practically be the last week of con- gress, although formal adjournment may possibly be deferred, until Monday or Tuesday of next week. Everybody can agree in crediting this congress with having done at least one good thing, pro- vided, of course, that the expected adjourn ment occurs on time-broken the record since 1880 as to the time consumed by a long session. The nearest approaches to the length of the present session were those of 1858, which adjourned June, 14th; 1872, June 10th 1878, June 2Oth, and 1880 June 16.
 The opinion is as general among politi- cains of all parties in Washington, that the Chicago convention will be controlled by silver men, as it is that Mckinley will be nominated by the St. Louis convention. Up to within the past week, many who believed that the silver men would con- trol the Chicago convention. did not believe that they would adopt radical platform or nominate 8 radical silver ticket, but now nearly everybody believes that the platform will be straight free coinage at 16 to 1, and that the head of the ticket will be a pronounced silver man although the administration men are still claiming exactly the contrary. The out come of the Kentucky fight is not calcu- lated to increase belief in the claims of the administration men.
 Residents of states which have irriga- tion laws were not pleased when the U. s. supreme court adjourned until October, without passing upon the constitutionality of the bonds issued under the California ir- rigation law. This is the easel which Ex- President Harrison made an argument before the supreme court last January. The inside secrets of the supreme court are usually we'll kept, but it has leaked out that no decision was made in this case because none could be reached, owing to the wide differences of opinion among the justices. Every state which has or pro- poses to have irrigation laws is interested n,.the outcome of this case.
 The men,who have changed front on the financial question, within the last five or six years, are not confined to any one party. Senator Butler, of N. o., brought a new one to the front when he read in the senate letter written by Senator Gear, of Iowa, in 1890, advocating the free coinage of silver. Senator Gear stated that, like SecetaryHoke Smith and others, he had since then changed his mind.
 It was doubtless all right, at least in the eyes of those who regard public office as as private snap, for the suggestion to be made at the last meeting of the Venezue- Ian Boundary Commission, that the con- mission could do its work during the summer months, much more expeditions ly, at some quiet mountain resort, than at it's cOmmodious quarters in Washington, but it raised quiet laugh at the expense of the commission all the same. All of us could do our summer work better in the braeing atmosphere of 8 mountain resort, but all of us can't have Uncle Sam to pay our bills in the mountains; hence most of us all will get along as we may where we are, but the members of the au- gust Venezuelan Boundary Commission must be kept comfortable, If 1t takes ten