The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-05-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from our regular Correspondent.l
y WASHINGTON, April 9th 1896.

legislator THAI the congressman are,
and in election years. If at 10 other
time the expressed disapprobation Of
the people isqnickly deferred t" by TIE
men who control Congress. A case in
point is the Pacific Railroads bill
which has been reported to both
House and Senate. Now. although
this bill involves al enormous amnnm
of money, and that it is much more
favorable to C. p. Huntington aud his
ring of capitalists than to the govern
ment. as was so ably shown by the
protest written by Senator Morgan,
from a sick bed and presented 70 the
Senate as a minority report, it was
proposed to railroad it through Con-
g.ess during the last days of the ses-
sion. This programme bad the sup
port of Speaker Reed and Of leading
men in the Senate, and Was being
witaoFed up by Huntington and his
lobby. The bill has so generally con
demn.d by the people that a halt has
been called in tie programme. and it
Is Tow said that the hiil will not be
acted upon 1T this session Of Congress,
fl it ever is in its present shape.
Senator Cockrell succeeded in his
humane effort to have the Senate
amend the Indian approximation bill
SD ihat it provides that two years shall
be allowed the Seciaiian (Catholicl
lntian Schools to prepare to turn
their scllolaiS over to govern
meut schools, if they do not wish to
teach them at their own expense bnt
there is no certainty that the A. 2. A,
which has shown its control of the
House several times during the
session. Will agree to it.
resident Cleveland assured the
4, lp.ates to the National Arbitration
Conference which mel III Washington
Ills week. who called on him, that he
was thoroughly in sympathy with
tleii aim To bring about a system of
international arbitration of all dis
putes lot affecting the sovereignty Of
nations.
The nnseating of Representative
Goth. of Ala. in favor of GoodwNnn,
the ropulist who contested the seat.
BY the republican majority Of the
House. was Il part Of the deal through
which it is expected TO carry Alabama
this Year by Il republican -populist
combine. This was SO ~palpahle that il
few republican members refused to
vote for it. but not enough to defeat It.
The danger of putting young men
with more egotism than parliamenta-
~ knowledge in the Speakers chair
was exemplified during the debate in
this case. Speaker Reed desiring to
consult with some of his boomers
called Representative Barrett. of
Mass, to the chair and retired to his
private loo to figure on his chances
tm the Presidential nomination. Nj.
Barrett got tangled up, and was
about TO get the House in the biggest
sort Of a row by attempting to shut off
MI. Cabh,, who had been allowed one
hour to speak in his own behalf.
Fortunately somebody sent for Mr..
Reed and he returned to the chair and
Strengthened ont matters. He also
tried to let Mr.. Barnett down easy by |
saying that he had misunderstood the
agreement under which the House was
acting, but Representative Bailey, OF
Texas, promptly called him down by
shouting IGNORANCE, not misunder-
standing This man hopes to be
Speaker of the next House, if Reed
becomes President and the House re-
m ,ins re~pahlican-a formidable eff"
Senator Smith, of N. j.. has probab-
~ been scratched off Andy Carnegie's
list of friends. if he was ever on it.
Hhe leason is an amendment which
Mr.. Smith wishes to have attached to
the Naval appropriation bill. This
amendment instructs the Secretary Of
the Navy TO make no contracts for ar
NOR plate for the battle ships provided
for in that bill unless the price be at
least as low as $500 a ton of 1000
pounds. Carnegie is now making
Uncle Sam pay $500 a ton for armoI
plate, but has promised to leCuce the
price. to prevent the government un-
dertaking to make its own armor.
Senator Smith wants to make sure
that the reduction is what it should be,
and yet there is no injustice in the
figures he names as that is the price at
which Carnegie and his associates
have taken a Russian contract. 1t le-
mains to be seen whether Carnegie's
friends in Congress can head off that
Smith amendment.
There has been some excitement in
Congress this week on account OF a
statement made by Representative
Sulzer. of :. Y. to the effect that
Walter Dygert, a Young man recently
Imprisoned by the Spanish authorities,
had l'een secretly executed. Mr.. Sui
zer's information came from Cnbans in
New York who got it direct from their
~ . al = =. 80 1a vA1
THINKS there Is "a mistake about it, rs
Ln I.S fia u ico Of flan Nans.I A.l