People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 December 1893 — FROM WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

FROM WASHINGTON.

An Batch of Aew* From the Capitol. From our Regular Correspondent. Washington. Dec. 15, ’93. It is perfectly plain from the speeches that have this week been made in the Senate on the Hawaiian policy of the administration, the bill for the repeal of the federal election laws, and the tariff, that the Senators are cocked and primed for a long and bitter partisan debate on each of those questions. The news from Hawaii and the official information from the Department of State has apparently changed no opinions; on the contrary, the opinions previously held seem to have been intensified by the developments of the week. The bitter fight in the Senate committee over the re-committed bill for the repeal of the election law is a certain indication of what may be expected on the floor of the Senate. • • • Senator Vest is the only man Yvho has in a speech succeeded in straddling the Hawaiian question. He started out by scoring the Republicans for trying to change the compact continental Republic established by our fore fathers in a great, expansive territory acquiring government extending to the islands of the ocean, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. He ridiculed the Christian pretences of Minister Stevens and ’the New England revolutionists of Hawaii who, he said, had christianized the na tives out of their country and had taken possession of it under the name of God, and then divided the land among themselves under a law made by themselves. He wound up by dissenting absolutely from the administration policy and said that the provisional government of Hawaii was a de facto government. having all the rights of a de jure government, so far as other nations are concerned; that any assault upon that govern ment by armed forces of the United States would be an act of war that could alone be brought about, by an act of Congress, and that he favored a withdrawal of every vestige of U. S. authority, from the Islands, leaving the opposing factions to settle it among themselves.

• a • Senator Stewart removed all doubt as to his opinion of the proposition to repeal the federal election laws, by making a speech in favor of the bill for that purpose, which is now pending. His position is in accord with the one occupied by him when the lodge election bill commonly referred to as the “force bill,” was before the Senate of the fifty-first Congress. He did not forget to put in a few good words for silver in his speech; he never does, no matter what the subject of the speech may be. ® • • It is now announced that President Cleveland will after the first of January resume the public receptions, the discontinuance of which caused so- much grumbling from visitors to Washington. It is also stated that these receptions which used to be held three times a week at 1 o’clock p. m., were not stopped because of Mr. Cleveland’s not desirng to meet the public, but because he needed the time devoted to the receptions for more important ! matters.

Delegate Rawlins, of Utah, won his spurs as a ready debater of first rate ability during the short discussion which preceded the passing of the bill providing statehood for Utah by the House. . There are reasons for belief that ! the Senate will amend the bill by including Oklahoma,and, if talk at this time counts for anything, the Senate will insist upon that amendment being accepted by the house. e • • i So long as the criticism of the ; closing of the Senate chamber to visitors, shutting the public out of the Senate elevator and closing every door, excepting two of the capitol at4:3o p. m. was confined to entering these things up to the credit of exclusiveness the Senators did not mind much, although Senator Peffer introduced a resolution to have the Senate chamber opened to the public as it has always been when the Senate was not in session; but it hurts some of them when the charge is made, as it has been this week, that it isn’t exclusiveness which has wrought those changes in rules old enough to be j Senators themselves, but fear of J personal injury on the part lof certain Senators. »- I Brier’s resoling n for the ap. pc::;- -Viff of ffVrlvo * Mff; a..-

Capitol policemen has been used as an additional argument in favor of the scare theory. It may soon be in order for Senators to make personal explanations concerning this matter, • • • The democrats of the House Ways and Means committee are stili wrestling with the troublesome tariff bill, which has not yet been imported to the House. The fact that they have in response to outside pressure made a number of changes in the schedules, all increases of dutj’, has redoubled the pressure upon them to make other changes before the bill is reported. It has been settled that a caucus will be held in the bill, but attempts are now being made to defer the caucus until the bill has been reported and the internal revenue bill, upon which little work has been done this week, is completed. It is net now expected that the tariff debate will begin in the House until after the holidays. • • • Prominent silver men are holding a conference here for the purpose of formulating plans for the next congressional campaign.