Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 January 1889 — WASHING ON NOTES. [ARTICLE]

WASHING ON NOTES.

The public debt was decreased $15,OCO,OOO during December. Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland, it is now reported, will permanently locate in Georgetown, after his term has expired. Brown, Owen ana Cheadle, Republican Congressmen from Indiana in the next Congress, declare that they have no desire to control the patronage of the State. ■ - - The Senate committee on "judiciary Monday refused to take action on the nomination of Solomon Claypool to be United States district attornev for Indiana. The status of affairs *n the district attorney’s office at Indianapolis is to remain as at present until a new nomination is made after the 4th of March.

The entire Republican Congressional delegation from Ohio called upon Major McKinley, at the Ebbitt House, Monday evening, and assured him that they would cordially and actively support his candidacy for the Speakership. The feeling .was unanimous and enthusias tic. The delegation express great confidence in the Major’s election. A few days ago Senator Vest created a ripple of laughter in the Senate by moving to reconsider the vote by which a bill had been passed, explaining as he did so that the wrong bill had been adopted. He stated that the bill which the Senate passed was not the one reported from committee, and was therefore materially different. It not infrequently happens that such incidents as this occur in either branch of Congress. ' ■ •

The reception of the President and Mrs. Cleveland at the White House on the Ist, was an affair of great brilliancy. Special pains were taken with the decorations and the parlors never appeared to better advantage. The President and lady were assisted by the members of the cabinet and their ladies and many invited guests. The members of the diplomatic corps and all the distinguished people in Washington were among the callers. The Postmaster General has directed that the eight new postal cars just completed for the New York & Chicago Line be named as follows: “Daniel Manning,” “Mr. Justice Field,” “Governor Felch” (ex-GdverL.or ot Michigan), “George S. Bangs” (ex-Superintentent and founder of the Railway Mail Service), “Governor Palmer” (of Illinois), “Governor Gray” (of Indiana), “W. F. Vilas” and “Allen G. Thurman.” This line, it is said, is the heaviest railway post in the world.

The Senate, on the 7th, adopted a joint resolution to the effect that, the Government will look with serious concern and disapproval upon any connection of any European government with the construction or control of any shipcanal across the Isthmus of or across Central America, and must regard any such connection or control as injurious to the just rights and interests of the United States and as a menace to their welfare. Blackburn, Hampton and Vance alone voted against its adoption. The President surprised everybody in Indiana, almost, on the 3d, by the appointment of Hon. Solomon Claypool as District Attorney of this State. Judge Claypool was the special assistant of Mr. Sellers in the prosecution of the Coy-Bernhamer tally sheet cases, as well as being assistant to Mr. Bailey in the examination of witnesses before the last Federal Grand Jury. Mr. Bailey’s nomination to the same position had not been acted upon by the Senate, and it is supposed that it had been or will be withdrawn.

A bill was passed through the House, Wednesday, that will cost the pension attorneys of this city nearly half a million dollars a year. It was the Dockery bill, prohibiting any agent or attorney receiving a fee for securing an increase of pension on account of an increase of the disability for which the pension was originally allowed, and further prohibiting pension agents from accepting a fee for having passed a pension bill through Congress by special legislation in cases where the pension might be obtained under the general pension laws. i (. Postmaster General Dickinson has issued an order classifying all the departments of the postal service, under the civil service law, except the so-called ‘•Presidential” postoffices, where the salaries are $2,000 and over, and the appointments are confirmed by the Senate, and ’ mere laborers in the setvice. In class 1 are all emploves whose salaries are less than $800; class 2; those who receive between SBOO and $900; class 3, between S9OO and $1,060; class 4, between SI,OOO and $1,200; class 5, $1,200 and sl,4'4'; class 6, $1,400 and $1,600; class 7, $1,600 and SI,BOO, and class 8, SI,BOO and $2,060.

Unless the President should interpose a veto, it is quite probable that General Harrison will have eivht instead of seven men to select for his Cabinet, as the members of the House committee of conference upon the bill creating the new Department of Agriculture and Commerce are willing to recede from their position and accept the .demands of the Senate. The principal point at issue has been the transfer of the signal service from the War Department to the Agricultural. Department, which has been insisted upon by the House but opposed by the Senate. Those in charge of the bill in the House are of the opinion that it is better to surrender this point than to loose this bill entirely, but they will expect in another Congress to amend the law so that not only the signal service, but the Land Office, shall be added to tre new department It is understood, however, that the President is not entirely satisfied with the bill and is likely to veto it. Nearly all the rivalry in the speakership contest seems to’ be between the extreme Eastern and Western aspirants. It is believed that Cannon and Burrows will pool issues and turn them over tp McKinley, and that Reed’s Eastern riyals will give way to that gentleman, leaving McKinley, Read and Henderson, of lowa, in the field. As between Reed and McKinley, should the field not center upon Henderson, the lat'ter’s followers would go to McKinley, which would elect him. McKinley is, beyond ques tion, regarded by nearly everyone in the House as the ideal man in the eyes of the tariff plank of the Chicago platform, which he framed. Reed, on ih® fl°° r > shown ah ability for leademhip which very few of the present Representatives are willing to dispense with. If the fight should narrow down to a question of thw tariff, McKinley undoubtedly will win. He has made no

antagonisms, and in view of the fact that the next House will pass the most important tariff measure proposed for many years, and that McKinley/ will have much to dp with its compilation, he will be given unusual prominence. In attempting to remedy a deficit in one of the cog wheels of the complicated machinery of rules which regulate the bouse in the transaction of business, the committee on rules has effectually put a stop to the Whole process of legislation. The proposition to amend the rules so as to prevent filibustering on the first and third Mondays of each month, against motions to pass measures under a suspension of the rules, has thrown the House into a deadlock which only the rules requiring an adjournment each day, at 5 o’clock prevents being as memorable aS that of last session over the direct tax bill. Mr. Reed (Me.), who has charge of the resolution to change the rules, has announced his in tention to keep the matter before the House until a final decision upon it is /reached and in this intention he baa the hearty support of the friends of the Oklahoma bill, which is now pending under a motion to suspend the rules. He finds sturdy antagonists, however, in Messrs. Baker (N. Y.) and Barnes, (Ga.), who are opposed to the Oklahoma measure, and in Messrs. Anderson (Kas.) and Anderson (la.), who are fearful that if the change is made, a motion will be offered to pass the Union Pacific funding bill under a suspension. Owing to absentees, these gentlemen have had a following large enough to enable them to break a quorum and bring the House to a stand still.

The Secretary of War has sent to Congress the estimates of General O. M. Poe, of the army, for proper improvements to mark and protect the works, forts and battle fields in Indiana and Ohio where General Wm. Henry Harrison won his victories against the Indians in the early settlement of those Territories. In General Foe’s report' this reference is made to Fort Wayne, now the flourishing capital of Allen county. “A considerable portion of the site of old Fort Wayne belongs to the city of Fort Wayne, the remainder being now occupied by the New York, Chicago & St. Louis railroad as successors to the old Wabash & Erie canal. Except the w ell, no trace of the fort now exists and the part of the site not occupied by the railroad or city streets is reduced to a small triangle. A patriotic and public spirited citizen has inclosed the triangle by a neat iron fence and erected a flagstaff within it, but so far as. I can learn, either by observation or inquiry, the city, as a corporation, has done nothing toward marking or preserving the site. Any monument placed here should be similar to such as may be selected for Fort Defiance or Fort Miami. Its cost would be about $5,( 09.” An appropriation of $60,500 is asked for, to include, besides work at Fort Wayne, improvements on the following battlefields: Put-in-Bay, Fort Industry, Forts Miami, Fort Meigs, the! battlefield of Fallen Timber ana Fart Defiance. ft.