Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1890 — THE NATION’S CAPITAL. [ARTICLE]

THE NATION’S CAPITAL.

SEVERALSENATORB ANXIOUB ABOUT THE FALL ELECTIONS. The Farmer*’ Alliance Whetting Their Knives for Senatorial Scalps—lntelligent Colored Witnesses Senator Beck u d the Reporters—Miscellaneous Capital Gossip. Washington, April 14. Easter Monday is a great day at the Capitol. It is the great annual national children’s picnic day following a custom formed years ago when the babies used to roll brilliantly decorated eggs down the terraces at the Capitol grounds and then roll after them. Upon the completion of the park surrounding the President's mansion the scene of these gay festivities shifted to the White House grounds, and now every year thousands of women and children gather on these beautiful lawns with baskets of luncheon and gayly bedecked Easter eggs, chatting and singing and having a regular picnic of a time. On last Monday the nation’s little ones beg in thronging in at the gates loaded down with baskets and paper bags, and by two o’clock there were fully ten thousand of them—black and white, from the color of wax to the blackest of black. Race lines, police lines, and car lines were all obliterated, and ioy and laughter reined supremo. At 2 o’clock the famous Marine Band took its position in the center of the park, and for two hours the youngsters nearly went wild dancing and prancing about to such spirited if not classical mu-dc as “McGinty,” “Razzle-dazzle,” “Where Did You Get That Hat?” “Suwanes River,” and “Listen to My Tale of Woe." It was at this period that the President and his family appeared upon the portico and smiled upon the attendant thousands. Baby McKee and all the other White House babies were held up for the admiring gaze, and a howl of wtlcome—for it truly was a howl—went up from ten thousand throats. Outside of the grounds, on every side, fakirs and peddlers of every description plied a most encouraging Easter Monday irade in eggs, pies, cakes, bananas, balloons, lemonade, pickles, peais, and peanuts. The bokey-pokt y man was out in all his glory. It is one of the sights of a life-time to see this grand display of youth and beauty out on a frolic," but what a sight when all had gone. The magnificent lawns were literally strewn with egg-shells, paper bags, withered bouquets, and half-eaten sandwiches. * » *

This year wi'l witness one of the most important elections, from a strictly Senatorial standpo nt, that have taken place in a great many years, and it may not be surprising if some of the most noted figures of the present Senate would disappear from public life forever. Prob ibly the most prominent man who goes back for re-e action is Senator Ingalls, of Kansas. It is claimed, and with considerable emphasis, that since the recent action of the Farmers’ Alliance of his State declaring war upon him, the opposition to his return haß so crystallized t hat it is doubtful whether he can overcome his enemies. The most important personage on the other side ot the chamber is Sena'or Vest, who will ask the people of Missouri for another six years’ lea'-e of Senatorial life next fall. Vest will have a powerful antagonist in the person of Hon. Jeff Chandler. It is asserted that the latter has the warm regard of the Republicans of his State, and that rather thsn see the present Senatorreturnedthey will join with enough Chandler Democrats to defeat him and elect Chandler. Wade Hampton, of South Carolina, has a hard row to hoe this fall. The Farmers’ Alliance and Labor Unions want his seat bad; but Hampton’s fences are in much better condition than Vest’s. Brown, of Georgia, and Vance, of North Carolina, will have strong opposition in their own party, and it may bo (hey will go under. New York will, in all probability, elect a successor to William M. Evarls other than nimself, Indeed, it is no secret that the veteran statesman has no desire to succeed himself. Senator Morrill, of Vermont, is eighty years old And has been in Congress for thirty-six years—twelve years a member of the House and twenty-four in the Senate. It xests almost entirely with himself whether he comes back again next year, as the people of his State express no desire to throw him aside after so long and honorable a career as has been his. But it is not at all unlikely that the venerable gentleman will step nside for a younger man and retire to his home to rest in peace and quiet during the few years that remain to him and his estimable wife who has remained*by his side daring his entire ■official life. Leland Stanford, the many times million lire of California, and Teller, of Colorado, would both like to come brek, and if money is any qualification, as is sometimes charged, their chances are both good. The impression prevails . throughout Washington circles that Farwell, of Illinois, has a hard fight to face in his ■State this fall. Mutterings of discontent in the ranks of his own party have reached the Capitol and are being made the most of by the opposition, and it is claimed that the administration is rather lukewarm in his behalf. The Senator is confident, however, that he will pull through all right. Spooner, of Wisconsin, has opposition in his State, but it cieem to be without t trength or organization, and he may be considered pretty safe. Platt, of Connecticut; Call, of Florida; Voorhees, of Indiana; Blackburn, of Kentucky; Eustis, of Louisiana; Wilson, of Maryland; Jones, of Nevada; Blair, of New Hampshire; Mitchell, of Oregon; and Cameron, of Pennsylvania, will all go back to their respective constituents and are almost certain of reelection. Besides these, the Senators from the new States who drew short -terms will have to endnre another campaign. These are Pierce, of North Dakota; Allen, of Washington; and Moody, of South Dakota. Taken all in all, with the gigantic effort the Democrats will make to again secure control of the lower branch of Congress, this year will be a most exciting one, politically speaking- * * “Why the Solid South; or, Reconstruction and Its Results?” is the name of a fiew book now in press and which is looked for with great interest by the public men at Washington. The book is edited and the preface written by Representative Herbert, of Alabama, and contains articles from the pens of Senators

Vance, of North Carolina; Pascoe, of Florida; Vest, of Missouri; Representatives Turner, of Georgia; Hemphill, of South Carolina; Stewart, of Texas; Wilson, of West Virginia, who was recently unseated; ex-Representative Barksdale, of Mississippi; and such well-known gentlemen of the Sooth as W. M. Fishbock, of Arkansas; Ira P. Jones, of Tennessee; and B. J. Sage, of Louisiana. It undertakes to narrate fairly and impaitially and dispassionately the history of reconstruction governments in each State, and the present prosperity of the South. The book will speak of Abraham Lincoln’s death as an appalling calamity to the South, and argues that Johnson followed strictly Lincoln's plan of restoration, and that if Lincoln had lived he could have defended the plan against the assaults of Congress. Each chapter is signed by its author, deals with the race question, contains educational and material statistics of many kinds, and is dedicated to the business men of the North. * * * The testimony in the contested election cases from the Southern States is sometimes very amusing, especially that ol the colored witnesses, and some of it coaid be used with effect by Senator Blair in another argument on his educational bill. In the case of Goodrich vs. Bullock, from Florida, the following question was asked to test a colored witness’ intelligences “Is Congress a white man or a black one?” “I never had hold of his paper ter read jt,” replied the witness. “I don’t know if it was red, blue, gray or gristle.” Another witness named White, but who was black, when asked if he knew who the candidates for Congress at the election at which he voted, replied with great confidence: “Oh, yes; Bob Ingersoll, ’Publican, an’ John Sherman was the Democratic candidate." In the West Virginia cases it was claimed by one party to the contest that a large number of idiots were voted. In the testimony it appeared that one of the men who claimed and was allowed to exercise his privilege as an elector, when questioned by one of the judges, replied in the most e.truest manner possible that he was “Jesus Chr st, ” that he had been “taking a lay-off for several days, but was going to work again in a few days as soon as be had hung Jeff Davis.” * * *

A joint resolution has been introduced in the House providing for the election of Senators by the qualified voters of the several States. This is the first move of the kind that has been made in either branch of Congress, aud it would be interesting to have it passed in the lower house if nothing more than to see how it would be received in the Senate. The auestion, of oourse, will have to be seted finally by amending the Constitution. * * * A bill has been reported favorably in the House from the Committee on Alcoholic Liquor Traffic providing lor the appointment of an alcoholic liquor traffic commissioner. The ostensible purpose of the commission is to make an honest, intelligent, impartial aud thorough investigation of the liquor traffic in all its ph uses. The report of the comm ttee calls attention to the charge that all facts and statistics thus f r brought to the noiice of the country are not gathered from an impartial standpoint, and indicates that the liquor traffic causes fourfiftbs of all the crimes committed, wastes o.ie-half of taxation, causes the expenditure of $800,(100,000 a year in drink, incapacitates mentally and physically half a million people for labor and business, causes three-fourths of the pauperism of the country, is responsible for the fearful increase in insanity and imbecility, and does no good to anybody. On the other hand, these statements are denied, and pronounced hallucinations of a diseased brain. Therefore, says the report, lei us have a full investigation by an authorized commission, and let the world know the truth or falsity of these assert ons. * * *

A number of leading ladies in the Senatorial circle, headed by Mrs. Hearst, Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Stanford, have organized a society, the object of which is to raise the money to erect a statue to some noted person to be presented to France in return for the statue of Liberty given to the United States. •* * * Senator Vance, of North Carolina, is the most amusing talker in the United States Senate. In his argument on the Montana election case he kept the galleries in a ripple of laughter from beginning to end, and the usually grave countenances of the dignified Senators partook of a broad grin as he related some amusing story and applied it to the case at hand. He knew, said Vance in conclusion, that the fiat had gone forth. He knew that the Republican claimants were lo be seated. But iu the wise regulation of the moral world there was compensation for all things. Republican Senators would be sicker over the thing before it was over than he was now. He had heard of an old fellow who went out to Ohio to speculate in hogs. He bought a big drove of them and shipped them to New York. When he got to New York he found that hogs were cheaper there than they were in Ohio. So he shipped them back and sold them. He met a friend next day, who said: “Jim, yon made a bad speculation.” “Yes,” said he, “I lost a good deal of money, but I had the company of the hogs both ways.” So he thanked God that in all future denunciations of the South for the suppression of colored voters, Southern Senators would have the company of the hogs. [Great laughter.]

★ * 4 Senator Beck, of Kentucky, says there will be a wholesale funeral among the newspaper reporters if they get him into more scrapes, such as Iqe is now trying to get off his hands. The reported rumor of his resignation hai brought down upon him an avalanche of letters from not only his own State bat prominent men all over the country, and he says he has to answer almost every one of them. He claims that not only had no never thought of resigning but was trying to so satisfy his constituents that they wonld give him another trial \vhen his time is out. And so, if all the people in his State who write to him beseeching him to reconsider his intention of resigning, vote for him, he will be sure to get there. So thinks the

Senator.

JAS. C. MOODY.