Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-11
Especial Telegram to the Globe.

Repu0Hc6n this morning says, regarding
the charges of crookedness on the part of
Senator Ferry. ''The reports have a
cooked up and fshy appearance, and a
very strong suspicion exists that they have
been set afoat with malicious intent and
will fall fiat when the contest is over"
Senator Ferry says that he has done moth
ing that will not stand scrutiny, and as
soon as the Lansing campaign is off his
hands he will be ready to talk business
with his creditors. and not till then.
Nor does he propose to be driven
or to. let his equanimity be
disturbed by the ISLANDERS of men who are
moving heaven and earth to pull him
down. The $4,000 notes about which there
have been queer stories are said to have
been offered to j. J. Hubbell. Ex-Post-
master Anger, who has just returned from
Lansing, says he is satisfied that the sena-
tor cannot be reelected.
LOOKS LIKE AN AGREEMENT.
A Republican senator said to Demo
cratic senator to-day that if the Democrats
would make no objections to the election
of president pro tenn. of the senate prior
to the 4th of March, there would be in
all probability no extra session of
the senate and the Democratic employees
of the senate could be allowed to retain
their places until the meeting of the next
congress. The Democratic senator re-
piled that as far as he knew there would
be no objections on the Democratic side
to the election of president pro tenn. be-
fore the 4th of March. 1t is a little Gu
rious that the Republicans should be anx-
ious about the election of president pro
tenn. They have majority without the
vote of David Davis, and any day Senator
Davis could vacate the chair, and by vot-
ing with the Republicans the latter could
elect a president pro tenn. without the aid
of the Democrats. Indeed, the Republicans
are in much better position
for electing president pro tenn.
now than they will be after the 4th of
March and before any new members are
sworn in. There will be twenty nine Re-
publicans and twenty-eight Democrats.
One Republican being a candidate, the
two parties would be exactly equal in vot
ing strength, and the Republicans could
not elect president pro tenn. except by
Democratic consent. There is no doubt
that the fear of some complications is the
moving cause of the proposition by the
Republicans to the Democrats. The Re-
publicans would like to elect Anthony, but
his term expires on the 4th of March, and
although he is reelected, he would not be
the legal president pro tenn. after that date
WITHOUT HEAD.
The absence of able leaders on the Re-
publican side of the house is particularly
noticeable. No one man, except Haskell,
appears to grasp the entire tariff question.
Other members act only when they are
punched up by their constituents. They
vote for one proposition one day upon
one ground, and the next day, after read
ing their mail, vote against another item
upon an exactly opposite principle. There
is no consistency or steady grasp. 1t is
growing upon the dazed comprehension of
congress that a very vigorous public
opinion demands reduction of taxes, and
that if adjournment finally comes without
decisive action being taken in this direc-
ton, confession of incompetency must
be made. So great is the pressure of
outside opinion that a desperate
desire to do something is
now uppermost. Evening sessions are be-
ing held to consider approximation bills.
If all the regular bills can be passed by
night work, the small chances for tax re-
duction will, of course, be improved. A
most significant thing was the action of
Kasson in leading the low tariff movement.
This was the first marked dessrtion of
Kelly's bill by member of the ways and
means committee. Mr.. Kasson's amend
ment to the rules has only one object, and
that is to give the house the power to pass
the senate bill without one word of dis
cussion. If the house adopts this amend
ment the members will vote in favor of
the senate bill. The work of the ways and
N sansIC committee under Kelly is
pronounced unsatisfactory. That of
the senate finance committee
comes nearer tina wishes of the majority in
both branches of congress. Another sig
nifcant point on all this revenue drift is
the bill of Congressman Flower, which
provides for the practical abolition of all
internal revenue taxation except upon dis
titled spirits. 1t would cut off $50,000,000
of revenue, and reduce taxation an equal
amount. This bill is supposed to have
been carefully prepared after consultation
with number of Flowers associates. 1t
looks as if the majority, at the very last,
failing to secure any tariff reduction, will
make one fell swoop upon the internal
revenue system.
THE WHISKY BILL.
Representatives Chandler, of Massa-
chusetts, West of New York, and Sherwin,
of Illinois, are classed among the recent
converts to the whisky bill. The
friends of the measure claim
that they are daily gaining
strength. The accession of supporters
does not happen in Jumps but in single
lots, and slowly and surely. They have
been mustered in full force several times
lately, but at the eleventh hour Butter
worth, of Ohio, has decided to wait. To
oor ba mt fboro ic a