The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-05-31
NEWS FROM WASHINGTON
Notes and Happenings Compiled At the
Capital by Carl scoheId.
Especial Correspondence

! Hill, in Anacostia, the former home of
the late Frederick Douglass and now
owned by the Frederick Douglass Me-
mortal and Historical association.
| At a recent hearing on this matter
before the commissioners the secretary
Of the association called the attention
of the commissioners to an act of CON
/ gress passed in 1900, which specifically
| provides for the exemption of the prop
erty in question when it came into the
| possession Of the association in fee
simple. The property was SO devised
to the association by Mrs. Douglass,
whose death occurred last December
Bills Never Considered.
! AT every session Of congress, and the
last was no exception, thousands of
bills are introduced which cannot pos
sibly be considered They are number
ed and printed and referred to some
committee, but even the committees do
not consider them Senators and mem
bers do not expect these bills to be con-
sidered when introduced, but copies are
sent to the men interested In them,
whether they are crank bills or mere
ly claim and pension bills. There is no
way to prevent man from introducing
as a bill anything that he wants to. lit
is an open thoroughfare, the way to
| the government printing office by the
bill route. Many bills are reintroduced
each year without the men who put
them in having the faintest idea as to
xrrF,o 4o54 G,xl IL
| which their predecessors have intro
duced and put them again in the hop
per. Often they are to pension men
who are dead and to pay claims that
have been satisfied Then there is a
class of bills that can never be consid-
cred as separate measures and refer
particularly to bills reducing or raising
the revenues and those for particular
river and harbor improvements.
Omnibus LegisIation.
The time was when separate bills for
rivers and harbors passed, but that
was many years ago. 1t was also the
practice to pass separate bills for pub
lie buildings and separate claim bills,
but now it is found practical to make
omnibus measures for this kind of leg
islation. Dave Mercer, who was a
member of the house for ten years and
was defeated in 1902 for reelection,
was the father of the omnibus public
building bill, and hundreds of cities all
over the country are indebted to him
for buildings now being erected or on
the way. Thad Mahon, for a number
of years chairman Of the committee on
war claims, found that he could get
bills through only by the omnibus
route, and great many old stagersY
have been paid in this manner
Not Relished by House Leaders.
Most of the house leaders are oppos-
ed to the omnibus method and have
fought the. bills whenever they APP
peared, but as river and harbor bill
is always prepared so as to insure a
sufficient number of votes to pass it
the same care is taken with the other
omnibus measures, and the leaders are
oyerruled. There is no partisanship in
this kind Of legislation. The men on
both sides of the political aisle unite
and fight together.
Some White House Troubles.
The unreasonableness of some men
who visit the White House was the
sad theme of one of the secretaries
the other day. Now, for example," he
said, John Smith, wanting employ
ment as laborer under the govern
ment and not knowing where there was
asvacancy, instead Of making few in
quiries lower down on the scale, thinks
sufficiently to consider it difficult to see
one Of the presidents numerous as
sistants in the departments, then ceases
thought and heads for the White
House. where he asks to see the
president personally on an important
Grand Or he wants postoffice and,
fearing the postmaster general may
be not I'M to the applicant for one of
the 10000 offices, concludes instead to
call ON the president of 80,000000 peo-
pie and demand personal hearing
from him. Or he wants to file some pa
pers in a matter which he knows win
not be ready for consideration by the
chief executive until some six months
later and wants to put the papers in
the presidents hands so that that gem
tleman may remember their contents
through all the details of those six long
months.
They Take Offense.
This specification might be extended
to great length. And nearly every one
Of these free and independent Amer
leans will take some offense upon being
told that he must wait awhile or that
he cannot see the president at all. but
must take his business up with some
one of the departments instead. He
refuses to consider that the officials Of
the government departments are neces.
sary assistants to the president, chosen
to relieve him by attending for him tc
the myriad details arising daily in ths
conduct Of the government Of which he
is the head. The popular attitude to-
ward such officials among would be
public servants and benefactors seems
to be that they are conveniences by
means of which the president evades
his personal duties and responsibilities.
And yet, when you come to think Of It,
the selection by the people of one Of
their number to preside for few years
over their public affairs does not con-
fer on that one any power to perform
miracles He Is still human, and he