People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1894 — FROM WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

FROM WASHINGTON.

An Intereetlns Batch of Biewi From the Capitol. From our Regular Correspondent. Washington, Feb. 23, ’94. Representative Bland has not yet succeeded in getting a quorum of members favorable to his bill for the coinage of the seigniorage on the floor of the House, but is still certain of getting the measure passed. The absurdity and inconsistancy of refusing to vote in order to break a quorum has certainly been made conspicuous during this Congress, and no one party or one set of men has monopolized it. Those who abused others the loudest for doing it when the Democrats were trying to get a quorum to get the tariff bill before the House themselves used the same tactics against Mr. Bland’s bill. In short, it is a method that is condemned by all, except when they desire to make use of it to prevent or stave off action upon some bill to which they are opposed, and which is used by all whenever they think it will serve their purpose.

Senator Morgan’s report of the Hawaiin investigation, which rather leans towards annexation and d@es not condemn Mr. Stevens, has been signed by the Republicans on the Foreign committee. The other DenTocrats will present a minority report. • ® o Attorney General Olney played a trump card in the game against silver when he, in reply to a formal request of the Secretary of the Treasury, delivered an official opinion th it the silver certificates, millions of dollars worth of which are in circulation throughout the country, are not lawful money in the meaning of the acts of June 20, 1874, and of July 12, 1882' It is putting the case very mildly to say that this opinion was a groat surprise to seven-tenths of the House and Senate, and that it around much indignation among the friends of silver, many of whom do not hesitate to characterize it as another administration move for the further debasement of silver. While the opinion of the Attorney General is not legally binding upon anybody, it necessarily has much effect upon Treasury officials in a matter of this sort. It is stated at the Treasury that it was because of the refusal of some of the national banks to accept silver certificates in exchange for other paper money presented for. redemption that Secretary Carlisle asked the Attorney General to pass on the question. It is probable that steps will at once be taken by the friends of silver to make a test case for the courts. There is no doubt about the intention of Congress having been to make the silver certificates lawful money, and it will require a decision of the Supreme court : to convince the silver men that :it did not succeed. The Senate ;on motion of Senator Allen has | asked for the official documents.

Upon no one schedule of the tariff bill is more pressure being brought to bear upon the Senators who are members of the Finance committee than that which deals with sugar. Many Senators have been greatly surprised at the magnitude of this industry. The appointment of Senator White, of Louisiana, to the Supreme court, has not weakened the sugar men, as he will not leave the Senate until his successor, who is certain to be a sugar man, arrives to take his place. The Louisiana Senators, who have declared in the most positive terms that they will not vote for the bill unless sugar is protected, are receiving strong support from as far away from their homes as Kansas, Nebraska and Utah, where the best sugar industry is large and growing, and they are still confident that their wishes will be respected, if not by the committee,

then by a vote of the Senate. • • • The Senate has directed the committee on printing to investigate the charges of crookedness in the awarding of the contract for the publication of the Patent Office Gazette, which have been widely published. The members of this committee are Gorman, of Md., Ransom, of N. C., and Mandernon, of Nebraska. The investigation will be commenced at once. Politics, business, jealousy and “boodle” are mixed up in it, and some of the testimony may be sensational, if the right witnesses are summoned. • • •

Only one thing is absolutely certain about the tariff, aud that is, that the Democratic Senators have not been able to ‘ ‘get together.” Everything else is conjecture. You will be told by the know-it-alls, that it was the interferance of President Cleveland that prevented the bill being reported to the Finance committee this week, and that he interfered because certain articles had been taken from the free list, and made dutiable, he being determined that the free list as it was when the bill passed the House shall not be curtailed, if he can prevent it. To show the absurdity of that conjecture it is only necessary to mention the fact that a majority of the Democratic Senators who are demanding a curtailment of the free list are Mr. Cleveland’s warm friends and ardent supporters and are more - likely to know his wishes and to be acting in accordance therewith than othwise.