The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1899-03-09

Washington Letter.
washington March $3.50.
When the record is carefully gone over,
1t will be seen that the fifty-fifth congress.
now gone to join the great army Of has
beens, did much more that was worthy of
commentator THAI was open to censure.
It's total OF appropriations-more than a
billion and a half Of dollars, was at first
glance startling, but war is expensive and
river and harbor and public building ap-
propriations are popular, In the neighbor-
hoods where the money is to be spent, as
well as in the neighborhoods which
hope to secure similar ones hereafter.
Congress, with almost it's last breath,
made play that Is little short of child
ish. 1t is contained in the naval bill,
which provides for the building of battle
ships and at the same time makes it i'm
possible to build them, by providing that
no more than $500 ton shall be paid for
armor, and that no contract for the ships
shall be made until contracts for the
armor have been made. When the bill
went from the senate to conference, it
authorized the construction of a govern
ment armor plant-a bluff at the armor-
makers-if the armor could not be bought
at the price named, but that clause was
struck out In conference, leaving the
whole thing an absurdity.
Nothing connected with the closing
hours of congress gave pleasure to great
er number of persons than the conflrma-
tion of the new naval promotions sent to
the senate on the last day of the session.
which made Schley a rear admiral, two
numbers ahead of Sampson, instead of
two numbers behind him, as the first
promotion sent in, which the senate hung
up, would have made him. Public opinion
sometimes gets on the wrong side, but in
this case it was right from the first, and
it is responsible for the action of the
senate, which brought before the public
facts that compelled the administration
to reverse the action of the little clique
of the navy department, which had in
veigled the secretary of the navy into
making recommendations not justified by
the records. "All's we'll that ends we'll, +"
but this case might not have ended we'll if
public opinion had not raised a fog.
Everybody also rejoiced when Dewey was
| made full admiral, but it should have
been done the first hour of the session of
congress, instead of in one of the last.
The little verse which was incorporated
in the farewell speech of Senator Wilson,
Of Washington, who joined Senat or
Warren, of Wyo., in protesting against
the treatment appropriations for the west
received In the conference on the river
and harbor bill, especially that providing
for irrigation, which was dropped with
others, will not soon be forgotten, owing
to it's. aptness. Mr.. Warren said the
westerners were represented by the young
goose and the easterners by the ole
goose in this verse:
''The young goose winketh, winketh, w1nketh
The old goose blinketh., blinketh, blinketh;
L
What the old goose thinketh, ,thinketh, ,thnketh.'
The announcement of Representative
Bailey, made because the house refused
to consider the resolution declaring the
seats Of the four representatives who &C
cepted army commissions, to have beer
forfeited, that, owing to his great low,
and veneration for the constitution, h,
would nos longer attempt to lead th'
minorit~, was dramatic, pathetic or farci
cal, just according to the way it was look
ed at, Had the resolution itself beel
voted upon, it would have been adopte'
without question, because Mr.. Bailey
contention that the constitution prohibit
, member Of congress holding other offic
under the government is conceded to b
. sound. But upon a vote as to whetha
that resolution should be considered, tn
popularity of i" Fighting Joe" Wheele
turned the scales against taking it up.
When the senate, by vote Of AZ to
adopted Senator Foraker's amendment
. the army bill, declaring that no propert
should be2granted in Cuba during U. {
occupation of the island, it served motto
upon horde Of schemers, that they woul
y get no help from this government in the
efforts to get. something for nothing
: Cuba. ~.. ...:...
The ti-Nicaragua canal lobby won i
fight after all. The canal legislation th'
was finally agreed to In conference, wi
leave the matter at the beginning of Il
= next session of congress just about whe
it was at the beginning of the sessie
just ended. The. friends of the can
fought hard for legislation that would
- least authorize the small appropriate
for start, but the power and wealth
- the lobby was too much for them. tt
- legislation adopted merely authorizes Il
. president to appoint a commission
engineers, to be composed Of civilians
officials, in his discretion, to investiga
!, the Nicaragua and Panama canal rout
and ascertain upon whatterms the COVER
ment can obtain control of either OF the
and request the president to recomme
g. legislation, based on the report of t
ne commission to the next congress. tt
~ legislation was obtained by a united lob
- maintained by the Panama canal compa
Is and the New York syndicate that claii
l to have a concession for the Nicarag
canal. To prevent definite legislati
e was mutually beneficial to these partl