Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1899 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From our regular correspondent.) i Gag law is to rule the Home again, and, unless present indications are at fault,-the McKinley gag is likely to be even worse than the Reed gag, All the pretty talk about changing the House Rules in the interests of more liberty fer individual members, has been hushed up *by the application ‘of the gag, even before the House assembles. Even Hepburn, of lowa, who defied Reed in the last House and made a savage attack on the injustice of the rules which made a tyrant of the Speaker, has •allowed himself to be gagged and has acquiesced in the programme which includes a re-adoption of the Reed rules without any changes that will lessen the Speaker’s authority over legislation. The order for the re-adoption of the Reed rules came from Mr. McKinley, who feared that without them, he would be unable to jam some of the legislation he will ask for through the House, with its narrow republican majority. f t According to present plans, tl e gag rule is also to be applied to the gold standard bill prepared by the House republican caucus committee, which is now being considered by the republican members of the Senate Finance Committee, who for some reason persist in wiHolding their endorsement of it. Instead of having the bill follow the usnal routine of being xelerred to a committee, it has been decided to have it endorsed by the Republican caucus when it meets to nominate House officers and ordered passed by the majority of the House. t t ' At the last meeting of the Washington Anti-Imperialist League, a resolution was unanimously adopted, calling attention to the anniversaries of the death and birth of George Washington—Dec. 14th, and Feb. 22—the trend toward imperialism on Ihe part of his successor, now in office, in direct contradiction to the lessons taught by the life and laid down by the farewell address of Washington, and the necessity of keeping the life of Washington, as a beacon light before his countrymen. As one of the ways of doing this, the League offered a prize of $lO, for the best essay, to be written by a school chilil of the City of Washington, on the lessons to be learned from the life of Washington. t t

Representative DeArmond, of Mo., one of tbe candidates for the democratic leadership of the House, has very positive opinions as to the policy that should be followed by the democrats of the House, daring the present session of Congress. He thinks t! e democrats should be aggressive from start to finish in order to place the republicans on the defensive and expose their weak spots to the country; that they should put themselves on record as favoring the withdrawal of U. S. authority from the Philippines, and the establishment of an independent government by the Filipinos; that they should advocate the return to the Cubans of their own —theirs not only by natural right, but by the solemn promise and declaration of Congress at the opening of the War with Spain; that they should make plain to the country that the administration party is the protector, as in a large degree it is the creator of trusts; that they she aid vigorously oppose the enactment of gold standard legislation, if the majority dares to attempt to carry out plans which the money kings are trying to compel them to accept; that they should oppose the creation of a large standing army as one of the methods of crippling imperialism, if it cannot be headed off,, and that they should ruthlessly expose the steadily growing extravagance in public expenditures, and the unequal burden of Federal taxation borne by the poor. Of the coming session of Congress, Judge De Armond said: “It promises to be an important and far-reaching one. It will not be surprising if its influence upon the approaching national election should be great, if not controlling.” t t

Representative Ball, of Texas, who is a supporter of Representative Bankhead for the Democratic leadership of the House, says that while the contest is spirited, it is being conducted in such a friendly way that no wounds will be left at its close to mar democratic harmony, and that as yet, no candidate has enough votes pledged to win. Mr. Ball says the talk of a deadlock in the interest of reelecting Mr. Bailey leader, is arrant nonsense, that Mr. Bailey always makes an open fight or none, and that he meant esaetfe when he^announced

that he would not again be a candidate. t t Hon. D. C. Dunbar, Democratic National Committeeman from Utah, says the fight against Rep-resentative-elect Roberts, of that state, is a political rather than a moral one; that while he is bitterly opposed to polygamy, 'which he fought for years, he knows that the accusations of having violated the U. S. laws against polygamy, which have been brought against Mr. Roberts, have no foundation in fact. t t Ex-Senator Palmer, of 111., who is in Washington, predicts that the leading issues in 1900 will be antiimperialism; antimilitarism; and anti-trust; and that Col. Bryon will be nominated and elected President. t