The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-12-08
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

of Tennessee, who received the democratic
nomination fol- Speaker, after one of the
longest caucuses ever held, got the vote
of every democratic member of the House
to day. He was not, of course, elected;
the republicans having the most votes
elected Representative Henderson Speaker
and adopted old Reed rules, but Mr.. Rich
ardson will be the democratic floor leader
of the House during the life of the Fifty
sixth Congress. There may be moro
side of the House, but that he will make
shrewd and safe leader is conceded bv all
His shrewdness would have been shown
by the manner in which he conducted his
Campaign for the nomination of Speaker.
had it not been well established long ago.
He received no warmer congratulations
on his success than those extended by his
three rivals for the honor.
Leaving Roberts and his polygamy en-
tirely out of the question, the position
taken by the democrats in the first scrap
of the session, which occurred when OBJ
lection was raised to the swearing in of
Roberts, that the House had no right to
go behind the official returns and deny
man seat when he presents proper Gre
dentials, was right, but right can't win
when a majority is determined to do the
other thing. If Roberts cannot clear him
self of the charge of having violated the
law, there will be few, if any, objections
on the democratic side, to his being denied
a seat, but it is wrong to declare him guilty
before his case is fairly investigated.
Mr.. McKinley's long message-ore Of
the longest ever sent to Congress-was
not sent in to-day, owing to the early ad-
iournment of both Senate and House as a
mark of respect to the late Vice President
Hobart 1t will 90 in tomorrow and then
the real business of the session of Con-
gress will begin. The democrats were
never in a more aggressive mood, and
''hot times are ahead for the repu oican
majority in both Senate and House.
The attention of Senators is being called
to the fact that Gov Stone had no consti-
tutional right to appoint Mr.. Quay to the
Senate after the Legislature adjourned
without electing his successor. The State
Constitution of Pennsylvania expressly
provides that vacancies in the United
States Senate shall only be filled by the
Legisl allure. A number of influential
Pcnnsylvanians are in Washington work
lug against the seating of Quay on per-
sonal grounds, against both precedent and
law One of these is Representative
Sowden, who said on the subject: The
question should not be made partisan
one, but each Senator, regardless Of his
politics or his personal friendship for Mr..
Quay, should vote as a conscientious, i'm
partial and upright judge, and decide it
| according to its merits and the dictates of
| his own conscience, under his official oath.
| If this be done, there can be no question
| of the result. Gov. Stones unlawful ap-
pointment has not single merit to sup
| port it,
That our pension laws are in need of
revision everybody knows, but when they
will get it, or whether the revision will
| make them better or worse, is a horse of
| another color. The Secretary and Assis-
| tant Secretary of the Interior and the
Commissioner and Assistant Commits
sioner of Pensions have testified before a
sub committee, Of the Senate Committee
on Pensions, that revision the laws
| should be made and recommended that it
| be done by non-rartlsan commission.
A National Commission that is really nom
partisan would be a rarity indeed, although
| there are many so-callcd.
Representative Smith, of Kentucky who
| was recently acting Chairman of the Ken
lucky Democratic State Committee thinks
| the legal contest in thai State depends
| upon the view the Court of Appeals takes
| of tissue ballots. He thinks those ballots
were illegal, and knows that they were
used extensively in the republican border
counties, to make sure that the "tloaterS"
voted as they were paid to vote. He says
| if the tissue ballots are thrown out as lille
| gal Guelel viii have Il plurality of from
1000 to 10000 Mr.. Smith says he doesn' t
believe there will be any trouble in the
State, no matter what the final decision
may be.
| Mr.. Mckinley is in somewhat dis
agreeable predicament, by reason Of his
desire to push his friend and cd family
| physician, Gen. Leonard Wood. ahead in
the regular army. He told Gen. Wood
| some months ago that he intended maxim z
| him a Brigadier General in the regular
army, and it leaked out There was a
flood of protest from the friends of the
line officers-many of them influential re-
publicans-who objected to having them
jumped by staff surgeon with the rank
of Captain. Mr.. Mckinley then tried to
satisfy Gen Wood with something else,
| but he wouldn't have it that way, pre-
| ferring to stand pat on the original prom
| Use. This WAS the principal reason for
General Wood being ordered to Washing
| ton at this time, and not the withdrawal
| of troops from bis district in Cuba as an
| nounced.
To Cure IL Cold in One Day.
Take LAXATIVE BRoMo QUININE