The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-01-12
WASHINGTON. D. c.. Jan. 10 ,ss

Hills In CON
Special Correspondence OF the vIRG1N1AS.l
WASHINGTON, d. c.. Jan. 10, 'SS.
With the re-assembing of Congress af-
ter the holiday recess, and the announce.
ment of the committees, commences the
real work of the session. At least it ought
to commence, but whether there will be
real earnest work, looking to practical re
suits or not, time alone can tell. Certain
it is. 90 member, however well posted.
ventures prediction. There are, among
the Democrats, vague illusions to compro.
mise, to reconciling of differences and a
Hopping of the two wings,
but if the attempt is made to locate this
much desired middle ground,'' the best
reward of the effort is the conclusion that
it lies somewhere between the poles. Mr..
Mills. as concession, would probably
agree to fix the meeting place on the ex-
IRENE northeastern border of the Demo-
cratic Texas ideal, and Mr.. Randall would
compromise on ground within the south.
eastern boundary of the Pennsy lvania DO
sition. Between the two is difference as
wide as the distance that separates their
respective States. and before they can
meet at all the one or the other must con-
sent to ian absolute abandonment of the
position with which his public life has
been identified, and where his convictions
ale deeply rooted. Will either yield
Randall cannot, and Mills, with the adyan-
tage he has as Chairman of the Commit
tee on Ways and Means. and the leader of
the House on the Democratic side, will
not. With Mills are the Speaker, the en-
tire organization, majority Of the Com
mittee, and four-Hfths of the Democratic
members. He was selected for the posi-
ton he holds because of his pronounced
free trade views, and every Democratic
member of the Committee is recorded as
Morrison bill In the last Congress. Be-
sides, he is in full accord with the admin.
istration, and his duty will be to prepare
the plan for the battle of 'S8 within the
lluCo ldiu uOnA III CuC HUE
sage. Thus fortified. it is not likely that
he will tamely surrender upon the terms
prescribed by the Randall contingent
Without that contingent, however, he can
do nothing. So we may look for contin-
uance of the internal taxes a draining of
the substance of tie people, and the pill
ing up, higher and higher, of the surplus
IN the treasury. That business depression
and hardship to the masses will result
from SUCH course, none can doubt, Con-
seauently. an effort will be made to shift
the responsibility to the shoulders of Ran
dali and the Republicans. Already it is
intimated that the free traders will agree
to the abolition of the tax on tobacco, if
the protectionists will consent to put
WOOL iron ore. coal, salt and lumber on
the free list 1t would beperfectly safe to
make such a proposal. No protectionist
would, for moment, hesitate to reject
it. Free raw material is free trade in its
most disastrous form, especially as it
would affect the South. That the tariff
discussion will be long drawn out is GER
tain. Already has the ball been opened. Sen
ator Sherman, in powerful speech, last
week, foreshadowed the Republican line
of battle, and Senator Voorhees, promptly
took up the gapntle Jet on behalf of the adj
ministration and his party. understand
the list of the Speaker of the House, at
this time, numbers one hundred and fifty
members who desire to be heard in the
discussion, and perhaps before it is closed
the entire membership will be enrolled
From present prospects the outcome of
all this talk will be a big zero. And the
worst of it is that the people will have to
submit to second edition Of the deluge
when Congress adjourns and the Presiden-
tial campaign is fairly upder way
-----
Next to the tariff. the chief measure of
the session will be the Blair Educational
BIZ. Its former history will be repeated
Twice has it passed the Republican Senate
and twice has it been quietly smothered in
the Democratic House. 1t is now before
the Senate again. The vote by which it
was taken up for consideration is signif-
can't. 1t was SO to Is, the majority being
composed Of "a Republicans and IA Demo-
Gratis, while the minority was composed of
IA Democrats and Republican-Gen.
| Hawley. Of the fourteen negative votes
little Delaware gave two. and the balance
with one exception came from the South
two each from Tennessee, Texas and
Missouri, and one each (Beck, Butler,
Faulkner, German, Hearst, Morgan) from
| Kentucky, South Carolina, West Vir-
ginia, Maryland, California and Alabama,
And yet $5s,QQ0,0Q0 of the $sTT 900. 900 to
be appropriated by the bill, goes to the
South. because three -fourths of the illit.
eracy in all of this broad land exists IN
that section. Do Democrats fear intelli-
| gence? Ii not. why seek to keep in igno-
rance section, without thevote of which
Democracy could not muster corporal's
guard at the National capital. With the
full knowledge of his hostility to the Blair
Bill. the Democrats in the House nomi.
mated Speaker Carlisle by reclamation and
| ClCCICu bAA4 W q opAlpo PStlo5 foeS' OhO VI
his first official acts is to again pack the
Committee on Education so that the Blair
Bill, when it comes to the House, will be
buried, as it was before. The composition
of the committee is a guarantee OF this.
| withstandng all of these disadvan-
tages. however, the friends Of the measure
will make determined effort to secure a
vote.
On the first day after the holiday recess,
several educational bills we're introduced
| in the House-all OF which, / believe, were
notifications Of the Blair Bill. Three Of
them came from Virginia members
| Messrs. Wise. O'Ferrall and Yost, the
latter presenting the Senate bill in its en-
Jirety as House measure. If it is posi-
BILE to get the bill from the Committee and
before the House, the chances are that it
will pass. The Republicans will support
it almost solidly, AMI enough from the
other side will Join them to overcome
the slender Democratic majority. But
even then the trouble will not end. The
shadow of the Executive veto hangs over
it. The Presidents opposition is well