Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-01-29
(rrom our regular correspondent3

House-Useless Bureaus OF Statistcs-An
Historic Court Room.
(From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. p, 1904.
The Democrats still hold the floor
ia the senate. Day by day. more and
more firmly they fasten upon the pres
ident the scandal of the isthmus-
the responsibility for the rape of Col
umbia of her richest and fairest state
take refuge in silence.
have nothing to say, or, if they have,
they do not say it. They have put
forward their most garrulous member
as 4 buffer-a senator whose armor
OF gall and self-complacency is imperv-
iOus to all attacks. Senator Spooner
is physically the smallest and vocally
the largest member of the body He
never speaks without tossing the most
fulsOme compliments right and left.
These bouquets are SO large as to
greatly embarrass the recipient, espe-
cially when he discovers, as he always
does, that they are made of artificial
flowers.
During the last week Senators Tel
Ter and Patterson of Colorado have
made speeches against the plumber Of
the isthmus which will be regarded
by the historian as the classics of
this controversy. Mr.. Spooner has
them both every few min
utes and. permitted to ask questions,
has interjected speeches, some of them
an hour long, within the body of their
remarks. Senator Depew. at one
point, came to his assistance, where
upon Spooner: II thank my illus
trious friend and walking over to Mr.
Depew and putting his arm around
him he continued, IF l wanted infor-
nation on any subject | would apply
to this great man." After tossing this
sort of fiattery about promiscuously
on Tuesday. Mr.. Patterson replied in
kind, saying: In all this state, in all
this magnificent country. | do not
know the equal of the eloquent SEN
ator from Wisconsin"-here Senator
SpoOner bowed low and blushed-"I
do not know his equal-in the opulent
talents and transcendent abilities
which enable him to make black ap-
pear white and white black" Here
ironical compliment and flattering
badinage took a rest for a while.
The last four weeks have been the
coolest for many years. Usually early
shrubs are in blossom in January. but
now sleighs and skates are much in
evidence. In 1880 there was a similar
winter. Then there was skating III
and down for six miles over the chan
mel of the Potomac, and great teams
crossed with heavy loads to Alex
andria.
Yesterday your correspondent found
at the Metropolitan Congressman
John Sharp Williams, Democratic
leader Of the House. Yes" he said.
1T certainly would be better for the
Democrats to stand together and re-
pudiate the fake treaty. But they are
divided. just as they were unhappily
on the Paris treaty On the issue of
honesty and decency instead of GRIM
inal aggression-of canal instead of
the canal--the people would stand by
us and give us victory. They prob
ably will anyhow. We have issues
enough if the treaty is ratified in
spite OF us. The single issue of hon
esty in Office in the light of the Off.
clal plundering going on is itself sufi-
cient to cause the people to refuse a
long lease OF power to any party. es-
pecially the party that is guilty"
Was there an irresistible and yo.
demand for the new depart
reveals what some may consider very
valuable information. 1t informs an
public how many beeves were
received the past year at six great cat.
tie markets. 1t says the cattle raiser
Is trying to adjust his prices to the
new prices of beef; it tells us how
much coal was mined In 1903, and
unrolls long list of similar astonish.
ing facts. AS they have all been pub.
lished hundreds of times before II is
difhcult for any fellow to find out
what this republication amounts to.
The business Of getting up statistical
information is sadly overdone in
washington. The Department of Ag-
rlculture, the Geological Survey. the
statistical Office. the Census Office.
and bureaus too numerous to mention
are all engaged in grinding out sim.
liar facts. They might as well write
poetry on the seasons.
The first scientific bureau estab-
hshed by the United States govern.
ment was the paten Office on April 10.
1880. Since then there has been a
great growth of scientific bureaus.
They are now no less than thirty.
three, connected with the executive
branch OF the government. and each
or them has certain number of dis.
scientific employees. Thew
are devoted to architecture mining
lighthouses, coast and geological SIR.
veys. standards of weights and meas
ures, engineering. ordnance, signals.
animal industry. chemistry, entomo.
iogy. forestry. plants, zoology. ehtno-
logy, fishes. etc.-a great scientific mi.
Versity. But there may be something
Ill the plant often sent up by farmers
OF the country. What good does ali
this do uSP'
The Postmaster General and Mrs
Payne varied the monotony of tho
weekly cabinet dinner last evening by
the President and Mrs.
Roosevelt and some forty additional
guests. the company being the largest
known at a cabinet dinner in many
years. The flowers were large
PLAQUES of pink carnations inter.
spersed with tall crystal vases of bride
roses.
The court room in Washington
where tho Republican postoffice con
spirators are being tried has been the
scene OF the Star Route trial. the
Griteau tlial, the unsavory Brecken.
tIial the revolving b.
nine trial, and many others of note
Three doors from it is the police court
IN the brick building. formerly the
Unitarian church, where Charming
preached.
There is no truth in the persistent
'umor that Senator Lodge Of Massa.
;husetts will succeed John Hay as
Secretary of State. The president
,annot spare nom the state depart
nent man who has reduced political
Ind territorial rapacity to a fine art.
SO the position is not likely to be va
ant and If it were. Senator Lodge
'ays he would prefer his present Dc
ition.