The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-06-12
FROM THE CAPITOL.
Our Correspondent Talks in Sage
Manner of Things in General
About Washington.
Especial to the Citizen.I


usual order of things during the closing
hours of the session of Congress. when
it is customary to bury questionable
jobs in appropriation bills with the
hope that they will be allowed to be-
come laws in order to avoid the incon-
venience that might arise from the
veto of an appropriation bill, by Veto
ing the general deficiency bill, because
it appropriated more than million
dollars for the oldest job of them all,
the french spoliation claims, and an
other smaller job in the shape of an APP
preparation of not quite $l75, 900 to pay
a claim for a battery furnished the gov
eminent during the late war and for
which the government holds receipt
in full. Even the Republican House
admitted that the President was right
by voting to sustain the veto and then
passing the deficiency bill again with
out those items. Both of those jobs
were put in the bill by the Senate, but,
of course, the House became partly re-
sponsible for them when it failed TO
Insist upon having them struck out. In
view of the record of the French spoil
alton claims it seems strange that any
Senator or Representative can be found
willing to vote for their payment. For
nearly one hundred years they have
been before Congress, and only twice
before this, has Congress passed bill
apprOpriating money to pay them, and
one bill was vetoed by President Pierce;
the other appropriation was smuggled
through in general deficiency bill on
March 3rd, 1891, and the money was
divided up among the claimants. Dur
ing the last term of the United States
Supreme Court, Chief Justice Fuller
said in an opinion relating to Congress
siOnal appropriation to pay these
claims: 1--WE think that payments thus
prescribed to be made were purposely
brought within the category of pay
ments by way of gratuity-payments
of grace and not of right"
The adjournment of Congress is now
only a question of hours. Many Re
some to help and some to watch their
National Committee which meets there
next week.
Representative Payne, of New York,
Out-Czared Speaker Reed while tenn
PorariIy presiding over the House,
when the Republican majority was en-
gagged in unseating Democrats and CIV
ing their places to Populists and Re
publicans, not because they needed the
votes, but because of the effect they
hope such action may have in the com
ing Congressional election. Reeds
counting quorum has long ceased
to attract any attention, but Payne
actually declared quorum present
when members enough were not in the
House to make quorum, and when
Representative Bailey, of Texas, APP
pealed from the decision he refused to
entertain the appeal, aud declared the
motion that Martin, "a P0pulist, who
had been endorsed by the Republicans,
was entitled to the seat occupied by
LOckhart, of the seventh North Caro-
lima district. The Democrats had pur-
posely left the chamher to break quo
rum when Payne made this outrageous
decision, and there was no quorum on
the floor, only 1l8 votes being cast.
Mr.. Payne also made use of his power
as acting Speaker of the House
to protect Grosvenor, of O., from The
burning words of McMiIlen, of Tenn,
which he had provoked by his con-
duct in the contested election cases.
After turning the Republican side of
the House into a bowling mob. in Or
der to drown Democratic protest
against the railroading of contested
election cases, Grosvenor tried tn taunt
McMilen by asking him to guarantee
quorum. Quick as flash McMillin re-
piled: think that when there is any
dirty work to be done in a contested
election case in this Congress, | might
guarantee that the gentleman from
Ohio would furnish quorum" This
raised mighty Democratic shout.
Later Payne ordered that McMillen's
reply be struck from the record, but
that does not affect its truthfulness.
One of the most cOwardly things
done by the Republican leaders
of the House during this session of
Congress was the holding back of the
report of the House Library Commit
tee on the resolution adopted by the
Senate, formally accepting the Father
Wisconsin. The Republican leaders
knew that majority of the Republic
can members of the House are under
the domination of the A. P. A., and
they feared that the voting down of
that resolution would make the State
of Wisconsin safely Democratic in the
election, besides affecting
many votes in other States; hence the
report was ordered to be held over un-
til the next session of Congress, when
its disposition will have no political eff.
feet.
Mr.. j. l.. Barkly, we'll known bus
moss man of KY, who is now in
Washington, says of Democratic pros
poets in his State: 81 think there is no
doubt about Kentucky going Democrat
ic this year and one of the chief causes
will be the unpopularity of Gov. Brad
ley's administration. His record is
open to severe criticism and will be a
factor in bringing back many Demo-
Gratis who refused to vote the ticket at
the last election"