The morning news., 1897-01-24
VIEWS OF WASHINGTON.
WHAT CONGRESS is DOING IN THE
CLOSING WEEKS OF THE SESSION.

Granddaughter to the Social
WOrId-The Reception at the Home
of the Chinese Minister-Other
Matters of Special and General In
terest.
Washington, Jan. 23.-The closing weeks
of the ffty-fourth congress and the Cleve-
land administration are marked by extra
ordinary activity. Society forges ahead
both day and night, at a pace which be-
speaks the last heat in the race and under
the capitol dome the speakers gavel
pounds a perpetual tattoo In vain endeav-
ors to evoke order out of Bedlam let loose.
Never did the body politic appear more like
badly behaved school boys.
Many of them, having played truant or
otherwise dissipated the morning of their
golden day, striving to make up for
lost time at the last minute; and nearly
every individual member of the 450, or
thereabouts, has some special measure,
which he is bound to get through while
yet the lamp holds out to burn. Hence
the wild waving of bills beneath the speak
er's nose, the clamoring for recognition by
scores of members on their feet at once
confusion worse confounded, amazing
spectators and setting reporters well-nigh
crazy. What a pity that some of this en-
ergy had not been earlier employed! But
| like death-bed repentance, maybe it is bet
ter late than never. 1t is safe to say that
more actual legislation viii be crowded into
| the thirtytwo working days that remain,
than has heretofore been accomplished In
as many weeks of the fifty-fourth con-
| gress; and presently the spire of gas
alight high up in the dome will night after
| night tel of sessions prolonged to the wee
sma' hours. 1t is always the same near
| the close of congress, and probably al
ways will beat least, as long as men have
things their own way. Apropos to this
| suggestion is DR.. Mary Walkers opinion.
| The redoubtab.e Mary, who has worn
mems clothes for a quarter Of a century,
is with US again after several years alb
| sence-trouserS, Prince Albert coat, top
| boots and ALTO urge some leng-pending
| claim, which cannot even be considered
| in these confused last hours. She was
| scolding about it yesterday in the Senate
| lobby, as only a weaker vessel can scold
| though disguised in the habiliments of
/ the other sex. IT'S shame" she said
whacking her natty little boots with her
| natty little cane, "How these men, paid
with the peoples money to attend to ma
| tional affairs. idle away their time till the
very end of the session. When women sit
in congress there will be radical reforms
| Fancy housekeeper fooling around al.
| the forenoon and attempting to do the
whole days work just before supper!'
Many besides DR.. Mary will go home
unsatisfied. Among scores of interesting
| things which probably will not be taken
! up at all, is the petition of the Chicka-
mauga park commission, for perpetuating
| the battlefield on which Gen. L. S. Grant
won his greatest laurels both as a fight
ing soldier and a strategist. His son, Col
Fred D. Grant, representing the army of
I 49, s
| of Mississippi, on behalf of the Confed-
crate Veterans Association, are
| here as leaders of the park
| commission Their petition urges
| the purchase of the country surrounding
| Vicksburg, to be held by the federal gov
ernment in perpetuity, so that future gen.
| eratons may see what skillful maneuver-
| ing it required to capture the Gibraltar
/ of the confederacy. The two gentlemen
| appeared the other day perore the COM
mittee on rules, consisting of Speaker
| Reed and Messrs. Henderson and Dal-
| zell, to plead that a day be set aside for
/ the consideration of their BILL making an
! appropriation for the preliminary work
! of surveying and marking out the lines
| of battle Looking at it from an econOm-
| ical rather than a sentimental point of
| view, as the bill carries an appropriation,
| Mr.. Reed declined to promise its consid-
! GRAFTON.
/
sort with calls for money attached, will
| fare badly in the Forty-siXth congress,
when Judge Holman Of Indiana resumes
| his old position as watchdog" of the
! treasury" In the last fateful campaign,
| six out of the thirteen of Indana's solid
republican delegation, were elected to stay
| at home after March 4; and four of them
will be succeeded by democrats. Fore
most among the latter is the aged William
| S. Holman, who has been IN public life
more than half a century, beginning as
| judge of a probate court at the age of 2l.
He has served in every congress but
| three since the Thirty-six-and in all that
| time has never ceased 10 howl for econ
omy. He has already confided to his
! friends his intention Of delivering a
| speech as soon as the extra session is
| called, denouncing the inceased extrava-
gance of governmental expenditures and
asserting that what the country wants Is
a general lopping-on Of salaries and
pruning down of expenses, to point con-
siderably below our actual income. He
argues that our government receives am
pie revenues to supply all reasonable
needs, and leave yearly surplus suft-
cient to not only pay the interest on the
national debt, but to furnish a fund for
paying off that Indebtedness as 1t falls
| due. Looking at things from the stand
point of his Aurora fruit farm, the Hoos-
Ter economist considers Uncle Samuel
a sad spendthrift, with no eye to The
pence which go to make the pounds. If
he could have his way, the annual appro-
prlatons would never rise above 1856, ,O00.-
900, which. he says, with our existing rev.
enue laws, would leave a surplus OF $780,
100000 every year and do away with hard
tines forever.
And now congress is to have a genuine
treat" like good boys at the close Of
school. Both houses have been invited
collectively and individually, together
with members of the diplomatic corps
and all prominent officials of the govern
ment. to attend one of Mr. Stoddard's in
comparable lectures, without money and
| without price. II came about in this way.
Last summer the well known lecturer.
who packs a Washington opera house
| every winter. at $500 the course-vislted
the Yellowstone park for the first time,
and was as amazed at the wonderful
beauties Of the place as saddened to see
how poorly they are taken care OF. Then
a bright idea seized him. He thought
| that II the Washington Lawmakers
could only see the marvels Of that reser-