St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-03
WASHINGTON.
The Democratic Leaders and Their
Failure to Secure Unity of Action
in the House.
Some Correspondence Relating to the
Issuance of Patents for Land by
the U. P.
Especial Telegram to the Globe. !


WASHINGTON, March 2.-This week ends
the third month of the Forty-eighth congress,
and still the public business is drifting along
as lazily as if the session would last year.
The set of man who came into control OF the
house by the election Of Carlisle, have shown
no special capacity for leadership, and if any
thing is accomplished from day to day, 1t Is
because some men has a spasrn of energy
that carries through the particular measure III
which he happens to be interested. The
dominant party has taken noaction in caucus
IT elsewhere to give intelligent direction to
the overwhelming strength Of the Democratic
party in the house by the selection of men who
shall be recognized as leaders on the floor,
charged with the duty Of watching their
political adversaries, and ready at any mo-
ment TO rally the majority against them. No
definite plans have been formed for the
guidance Of the majority, and upon no i'm
portant question can it be relied upon to
poll its full strength. The chairmen OF the
several committees are absorbed in the spe-
cial work assigned to their committees, and
instead of cooperating so that some one Of
the important matters Of legislation
may be attended TO each day,
each chairman looks out for his own
committee bills and the riyalries lead to the
contentious wasteful of time and injurious to
party discipline.
Mr.. Morrison has been ironically dubbed
'ePu sher'' Morrison, but his share in the
work done the past three months on the floor
has been insignificant. He is wrapped up
in the business Of the ways and means com
mittee and his leisure moments are devoted
to suspicious thoughts about Randall's in
tentions. 1t is true that lie has undertaken
herculean task in proposing to pass low
tariff bill through the house and has some
brothers to depend upon ON the Democratic
end of the committee, but it is all the more
necessary that he, as the official leader of the
house, should have initiated a movement to
bring his party into better discipline. The
Republicans present marked contrast to the
Democrats in this respect. They move to
gether as one man. They generally follow
any prominent man of their number whom
chance or choice temporarily brings to the
front They did this recently in
the unjustifable filibustering against
fixing a day to consider particular bill. One
of their leaders started the dilatory proceed
ing, and the rest followed, although half of
them disapproved of it. The Democrats were
helplessly held in check for sixteen hours
by day and night because they could not rally
a fraction of their seventy majority.
Mr.. Randall devotes his attention to the
affairs of the appropriations committee. He
excels all other men in the house in his
power to control it by his wealth Of parlia
mentary knowledge and expedients and
resolute boldness, but the house is organized
to advance political theories of which he does
not approve, and he does not seem inclind to
lend his aid in keeping the business of the
house up to the mark or keeping the
party in harness. He and Morrison do
speak as they pass by, but there is no cordi-
atty in their communion, The bee is in
their bonnets. It has been said hundred
times by men who are jealous or suspicious
Of Randall that he has held back the
appropriation bills for the purpose of inter
fering with the egg upon which Morrison
has been incubating for several weeks.
The fact is that two of the appropriation
billsEhave been held back by the two Repub-
leans who had charge of them, Mr.. Keifer
and Mr.. Horn. Keifer might easily have
brought in the military academy bill by the
middle of January, for it had already been
prepared by Mr.. Townshend, but Keifer
may be excused because his attention
was distracted by certain important
investigations by congress in which he had a
personal interest. Mr.. Horn was delayed by
the magnifcence of the schemes of himself
and Mr.. Ellis for improving the coast de-
lenses, by which they ran up the fertilization
bill from total of 5000, 900 to SO, 500, 600.
The naval appropriation bill was delayed
by the absence of Mr.. Hutchins and others.
The same is true as to the other appropria-
ton bills, but the chief reason for holding
back some of them is to be
found in another direction. 1t is
understood that Notwithstanding the ease
with which Randall sandwiched new and
untried men between old and economical
statesmen in framing his sub committees, he
has discovered that some of the Democratic
committeeman are inclined to revolt against
the economical policy of himself and Mr.
Holman. They are, in fact, disposed to be
almost as lavish as the Republican commit
teemen, and Randall and Holman are
obliged to proceed very cautiously to avoid
giving the Republicans practical control of
the committee. Holman, Townshend
Forney and Hutchins are the only
Democrats that he can rely upon to vote to
keep appropriations within the limits of
necessary expenditures and refuse to listen
to the numerous schemes of the departments
to get larger allowances. Hancock is an easy
going old gentleman who troubles himself
about nothing. Files, FolIett and Burns are
disposed to be as liberal with the public
money as Keifer, Calkins, Horr and Wash
burn. Cannon and Ryan are safe men in
the opinion of the economical gentlemen, that
is to say they are as likely as any
Republicans to hold the purse strings tight.
The debate on the naval appropriation bill
will be resumed tomorrow after the call Of
states for the introduction of bills.
The senate will listen to eulogies to-mor-
row upon the late Congressman Haskell of
Kansas.
1t is understood that the Republicans will
endeavor, when the Morrison tariff bill comes
up, to strike out the enacting clause in which
venture they hope to enlist sufficient num-
Der Of protection Democrats to insure success.
If this shall be accomplished there will be no
low tariff legislation at the present session.
F. G. Winston and Gen. Rosser, wife and
two daughters, all of Minneapolis, arrived at
Wizards tonight.
THE CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY,
The congressional library bill which passed
the senate, provided for the acquisition by
purchase or condemnation, of one or the