People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1894 — FROM WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

FROM WASHINGTON.

An Interesting Batch of Hews From the Capitol. From our Reguliw Correspondent. Washington, April 13, '94. Senatorial oratory has had full swing this week and will continue to have for four hours each day the senate is in session as long as the present agreement between the Democrats and Republicans holds good—for probably a fort-night more anyway. The echoes of Senator Hill's speech are still heard, and will continue to be heard for sometime. While his speech has only been publicly endorsed by one senator of his party—Brice, of Ohio—there are good reasons for saying that it is endorsed privately by others among them. There is no longer any doubt that Senator Hill intends to aid in defeating the tariff bill, unless his party associates will consent to modify it to an extent that wbuld make it a new measure, and there are no present indications that they will do that.

Senator Hill’s position on the tariff has brought up an old but never decided question—ought a senator to vote in accordance with the sentiment of a majority of his party or with that of the state he represents? If the first, Senator Hill has committed a political crime; if the last, his opposition to a majority of his party is justified by undisputed facts. The southern Democrats are as much down on Senator Hill as they are upon President Cleveland, and many of them do not hesitate to charge both of them with acting solely in the interest of the State of New York, one on the tariff, the other on finance, without regard to the interests of their party or of other sections.

The closing scenes of the Pollard-Bredkenridge trial were at times highly dramatic. ExCongressman Phil Thompson, of Kentucky, one of Breckenridge’s lawyers, in the course of a speech teeming with blackguardism, made probably the most infamous statement ever made by a respectable lawyer in court when he said that he did not blame a girl for preferring to be the mistress of a man of prominence who could aid her in maintaining a good social position rather than be the wife of a poor Kentucky farmer.

Indications are not lacking that the’ action of the Democratic house caucus this week in declaring in favor of the repeal of the tax on State bank currency was more to satisfy constituents than w’ith any idea that repeal can possibly be accomplished in the manner proposed—as a rider to another bill. There is little doubt that a square proposition for unconditional repeal would be voted down in the house. The largest claim made by those who have polled the house is 129 votes in favor ol unconditional repeal. The caucus which adopted the repeal resolution was attended by ohly 102 of the 218 Democratic members of the house, and nearly all of them were from the west and south, and one of the former— Bryan, of Nebraska—told the caucus that his state was opposed to the issue of money in any other way than under Federal supervision and that he should vote against repeal. The Republicans will to a man vote against repeal and the Populists will probably do the same.

It may be that the silver men will vote fur Representative Meyer’s combination bill, authorizing an unlimited issue of bonds and the coinage of the seigniorage, but they haven’t said that they would. Indeed, they appear to be perfectly in-different-towards the bill in its present shape. It.will be a very difficult task to get a bill authorizing the issue of bonds through

the house, no matter what other project or projects may be combined with it.

It is to be regretted that the senate failed to vote, as had been expected, on Senator Harris' proposition to meet daily at 11 o'clock and to remain in session until G o'clock, the tariff bill to be taken up at noon each day. The vote would have been a valuable straw in determining what is to be the final fate of the bill, as it was generally • under stood that those who are opposed to the bill would have voted against increasing the time devoted to it. It turned out, however, that neither side was anxious to take a test vote at this time, and when the opponents of the bill proposed as a compromise, that the senate continue to meet at noon, but that the tariff bill be taken up at 1 o'clock, instead of at 2, and that its consideration be continued until 5 o'clock each day it was eagerly accepted by the friends of the bill. It is believed that the compromise was offered by the Republicans at the request of Democratic senators who are inclined to oppose the bill but are not yet ready to publicly commit themselves against it.

• • • If Mexico would only look at the matter through our spectacles, Senator Wolcott’s resolution, this week adopted by the •senate, requesting the president to open negotiations with Mexico, with a view of obtaining permission to coin Mexican silver dollars at U. S. mints, for export to Asia, would doubtless result in a silver boom, but it would be just as well to await Mexico’s answer before getting gay over the prospect. • • • The struggle of the Democrats in the house to get and maintain a voting quorum in so near continuous that it has grown very monotonous and wearisome. The country has had a regular weekly dose of it for some time past and this week has been no exception to what has come to be regarded as a regular program.