People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 July 1894 — FROM WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

FROM WASHINGTON.

An Interesting Batch of \cw« From the Capitol. From our Regular Correspondent. Washington, July 13, 1894. Three members of the Executive Committee of the Kaights of Labor— J. W. Hayes, T, B. McGuire and C. A. French have been here for several days trying to get the bill introduced by Senator George passed, and looking into the beginning of impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Olney, which labor leaders have been discussing for some time. The bill of Senator George’s is an amendment to the arbitration act of 1888, under which Mr. McGuire claims that President Cleveland has ample authority to compel the Pullman company to submit the questions which caused the stiike to arbitration, providing that railroad corporations which refuse to arbitrate when requested by their employes to do so, shall not be granted injunctions against its striking employe or be given any other protection by U. S. Courts. The fact that the Senate refused by a vote of 35 to 11 to add an amendment declaring in favor of arbitration to the resolution which it adopted without a division endorsing the policy of the administration in using troops to put down disorder and to force the moving of the mails does not make the outlook for the passage of the George bill very promising. • • • Out of all the numerous bills, resolutions, etc., introducing in Congi’ess on account of the strike, the only one that looks like it is going through is the resolution reported from the House committee on interstate commerce providing for a thorough investigation by that committee, not only of the Pullman strike but of all of those which have followed it that affect in any way interstate commerce. The idea seems to be to let the other bills and resolutions rest until the investigation is made and a report submitted to Congress.

Senator Morgan, Chairman on Foreign Relations, and as such in charge of the Chinese treaty, obtained an indefinite leave of absence this week and is not expected to resume his duties during the present session. This indicates that no action is to be taken on the treaty at this session and tends to confirm a currant rumor, that the administration had asked that the treaty be not called up again at this session, because being opposed by the labor organizations its ratification at this time would add to the prevailing discontent.

The report prepared by representative Powers, of Vermont, in favor of his bill to repeal the law docking salaries of Congressmen for absence without leave, except on account of sickness, is inclined to be humorous in parts, but it contains no compliments for members of the House, who, it says, evade the law by every subterfuge, but principally by falsely reporting sickness of themselves or their families. The house may repeal this law to save Congressmen the degradation of lying to keep their salaries from being docked, but it would be more in keeping with common sense for the people to elect men to the House who would attend the sessions of the House and have no occassion to lie in order to save their pay. • • • Notwithstanding the excitement, which has at times been intense, over the strike news, there has been the greatest interest displayed in the daily meetings of the conference committee charged with the important duty of smoothing out the radical differences on the tariff bill between the Senate

and the House. While Ido not state it as an assured fact, there are numerous indications that the Senators headed by Gorman and Brice, who compelled the democrats of the Senate to accept the ammendments to the bill which were dictated by them, will by the same tactics compel the House to concur in the most important of those amendments. I understand that a proposition has been made, although not yet agreed to by the conference, to put both sides to the test by reporting an agreement that will strike out the iron, coal, sugar and other important Senate amendments, in order to see whether the Senators who favor those amendments will carry out their threats by voting to reject the conference report and ordering the Senate confeers to stand out for those amendments. If they do the Senate will have its way, or, there will be no tariff bill. If it comes to that there is little doubt as to how the House will decide.