The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-04-06
WASHINGTON POLITICAL GOSSIP.
What is Being Done, and Also Not
Done in Congress---How
the Peoples Money Goes.

Washington, April Legitimate
business goes forward by spasmodic
Jerks in both Senate and House. The
Senate now has the Postof6ce appro-
priation bill in hand and the House
is trying to swing the civil service ap-
preparation bill every night ga days
march nearer home.'' The reading
clerk is presenting them item by item,
and contesting the floor as far as the
| Speaker will let him with members
who insist upon carrying on an acri-
monious partisan debate between sen
tences. This hesitating progress has
continued day by day. On Thursday
Senator German spiritedly arraigred
the Republican party for sins of com
mission and omission, especially for
refusing to investigate the diffusiye
postohice scandal. He insisted that
under lax methods corruption had per-
meated every department of the gov
ernment; that thousands of oHicehold-
ers had snatched Doodle merely because
their party had been too long in power
and would probably soon be driven
from all places of authority.
Senator Dolliver, Iowa, "the'' Re-
publican orator, deprecated the sense
less clamor'' which demanded investi-
cation, and insisted that adequate and
| ample Investigation had already been
made and reported by the Postoffce
Department itself. There had been
enough investigation, he said, and
Congress ought to 60 straight on with
its work. Gov. McCreary, KY, asked
Nh. Dolliver if it was generally con-
sidered adequate for prisoner to sit
in mjudgent on his own ofenses.
Senator Patterson, Col. insisted that
there had been no Investigation what
ever in reply to the demand which had
been made for one by the Commis-
sioners appointed by the President
| himself, and declared that an early
adjournment had been decided on to
avoid legislation not desired by the
President. There was to be no tariff
revision; no public building bill; no
| river and harbor bill; no reciprocity;
no investigation of various scandals;
no settlement of the Swayne or Smoot
cases. Senator Lodge asked him if
the nation had not had prosperity.
and when in the past there had ever
been such high tide of prosperity,
as under the Dingley act. Senator
Patterson replied that the country
had had flush times and periods Of
depression under both parties and
all kinds of legislation, but he would
| venture to say that under the so-called
free trade regime of 1916 there was
| more general thrift aud national pros
periGy than there had been under the
administrations OF Mckinley and
Roosevelt. Senator Lodge admitted
that the worst feature of the so-called
postofice scandal was the fact now re-
vealed that there had been "sec1et
rules'' in the department for the
benefit of Congressman; it was
hoped that the present bill would
abolish them.
In the house there are premonitory
spats every day. Williams, Demo
cratic leader, said the situation bris
tied with issues for the campaign.
The party in power would be held
responsible not merely for its failure
to cultivate reciprocal relations with
other nations and its refusal to punish
grafters or investigate manifest and
palpable corruption, and for bank
rupting the treasury, but especially
for its refusal to prosecute the coal
carrying railroad trust and to bring
criminal action against the Northern
Securities Company and condign
punishment oD the promoters Of that
conspiracy. He added that the i'm
peachment of Judge .Swayne ought 70
be vigorously carried on or stopped;
that 1t was not dignified or decent
to hold high judicial officer in sus-
pension, while his arraigncrs went
home to fix their fences.
Although there will probably be no
new public building begun or author
lied this year, the House has provided
in the sundry civil bill for magni-
6cent addition to the Capitol-an ez-
tension of the main body of the build
ING eastward $50 feet so as to bring it
out upon the piazza with the two
wings. This addition Will contain
sixtv.six spacious and sumptuous
rooms, half of which will belong to
the House and half to the Senate.
The entire extension will cost 81, 500,
600. and will be finished in two years.
leading from the east steps to the
rotunda will be beautiful marble
VeStlbule, LOU IeeG louS, to1iA1AS
grand entrance to the building. The.
Senate will probably ratify the
scheme.
The administration ipdulges in yc-
ciferous Joy over the news from Paris
that the Panama title is clear and
Colombia has lost her canal suit in the
French court, enabling the canal CON-
nany to turn over the property to US
during the present month. When he
read the news Senator Lodge rushed
up to the White House and embraced
the president with no more attempt
to hide his emotion than two girls
show upon the street when con6ding
to each other their matrimonial pros
pects. Other visitors gave way, and
automatically shrunk into embrasures
of the windows and slid behind
portieres so as to see, not to be Wit
nesses of the too ardent felicitatiors
and transports of rapture. Now let us
see if Uncle Sam can read his title
clear to bitches in the swamp.
The numerous understrappers who
have risen from Shanhz's ordinary
mare to a gorgeous equipage during