The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-01-07

| land failed to appoint Henry T. Thur
Der, his private secretary, to a similar
position. Major Howell may have a
| show. but II is not as good a show as
Barnum had.
Plenty of Statesmen.
Although the congress is not In ses-
sion there are plenty of statesmen here.
They are met with in the hotels, on the
| streets and In the Capitol corridors.
Many senators and representatives are
| chairmen of committees, and that
gives them exclusive use Of their COM
mittee rooms. Therefore they go to
| the Capitol daily, as business men go
| to their offices.
Senator White of California says:
cit is practically impossible for the
senators and representatives who re-
side west of the Mississippi river to go
to their homes during the Christmas
holidays. 1t would be impossible for us
Pacific coast folks to go home We
would barely have time to ride across
the continent and back again.
II am in favor of an amendment to
the constitution" said the senator, IAN
amendment (which would fix the date
for congress to convene on the second
Monday in January, instead Of on the
| first Monday in December That would
give all of us a chance to be with our
home folks during the holidays. More
over, If there should be any necessity
for an earlier session the president
would still have authority to summon
us here by proclamation"
when should the congress compul-
sorily adjourn"
About April 80. -
II should say about April 80, and that
would be a good day, usually, for presi-
Dental inaugurations. The present
date, March 4, in this climate, Is usual
ly a disagreeable day. President Hayes
was inaugurated on a wet day. Presi-
dent Garfield was inaugurated in a
snowstorm. President Harrison deliv-
cred his inaugural in a cold rainstorm.
President Cleveland's last Inaugural
ton was in a severe snow and sleet
downfall. BY all means we should
change the constitutional date for the
beginning Of our congressional sessions
and the conclusion of our congressional
terms. ! have talked with number
of leading men during the recent ses-
sion and find that there is very little
opposition to the proposition. l hope
and believe that 1t will be adopted"
Colonel John S. Mosby, the famous
rebel guerrilla, whose hard riders
caused the army of the Potomac a
great deal of trouble during the civil
war, came here recently to prevent the
passage of a bill to reward Parson
Worsley for services as spy during
the war. Colonel Mosby says: This
fellow is a rank fraud. He ought to
have been shot by my men or by the
federals, for he betrayed both of u.s.
He had bill introduced during Grants
administration, and again during
Cleveland's second administration. On
both occasions / had the pleasure of
squelching his bill.
During the summer Of 1864 Worsley
secured a permit to go through the
federal lines and sell provisions and
supplies to my men, on the ground
that he would report our condition and
location to the federal authorities. We
received him, bought his goods and
paid for everything that we got. He
made lots of money. He probably re-
ported some things about us, but his
reports did nc good, because we were
always on the go and never remained
where we met him and dealt with him.
But he did the Union cause harm, be-
cause he gave me information which
resulted in several successful raids on
the federal troops The man was MAX
ing money, and he was disloyal to his
country. He will never get the bill
through congress while I am alive or
any of my men are alive to expose his
game"
The appointment Of William Penn
Nixon to be collector Of customs for
the district of Chicago meets with gen.
eral approval in political circles. The
veteran editor is held in high esteem
among leading members Of his party,
and he has long been regarded with
warm friendship by President McKin-
ley who looks upon him as a journalist
of highest rank.
Disposition to Criticise.
In military circles there is a DISPOSE
ton to criticism the president and Sec
rotary Of war for opening the hospital
at Hot Spings, Ark. That action is not
deemed necessary from a military
standpoint, and nobody can understand
why it was done until an old politician
said: Powell Clayton did great deal
to secure McKinleys nomination, and
Powell Clayton is being well cared for.
That hospital will bring lots Of money
into Arkansas, and will give employ
ment to Clayton's friends"
Thus, you see, we have government
of the people, by the people, and for
the people; and those who make presi-
dents may well say: I'VE are the peo-
pie"
Congressman Connolly, the short and
compact congressman from the Seven
teenth district of Illinois, Is preparing
a bill to revise and amend our natural
ization laws. He says that the existing
law was enacted in 1902, and has been
but slightly amended since that time.
The bill which he is preparing, with the
aid of the department of state, will pro-
vide that all naturalized citizens shall
send their papers to the state depart
ment for registration before they can
become valid. Furthermore, 1t will be
provided that when naturalized citi-
zens return to their original country
for permanent residence their natural
ization shall cease, and they cannot