Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-01-12
WASHINGTON.
The Blaine Comet. The Senate Tariff
Bill on a Snag.

rum0rs OF opposition tOthe reelection
of Senator Coke, laughed good
naturally aud said: Jt's all bosh,
Coke will be unanimously reelected,
Texans always know when they have
a good thing"
Senator Cullom raised quitea laugh
at the expense of Senator, or, as he is
Oftenec called here Granny" Blair,
Saturday, when he presented to the
Senate resolutions adopted by
the Columbia Turnverein, of Lake,
Ill. The resolutions after re-
citing their opposition to Mr..
Blair's bill for compulsory religious
instruction in public schools, etc.,
recomends "that Congress make an
appropriation sufficient to pay tutors
to instruct such Representatives or
Senators like Mr.. Blair in the rudi-
ments of history and other studies
calculated to develop and broaden
their minds, so that they may no
longer disgrace our nation in the
eyes Of the world by resolutions and
bills to which there is no present
parallel, but which reminds one
forcibly Of Spain in the fifteenth
century" This is rather rough on
Blair and his kind, but as long as
they act on the obsolete ida that
people can be made good and vir-
tuous by the enactment of laws, they
can expect no better.
Senator Brown, of Georgia, was in
his seat Saturday for the first time
this session. His health has improved
slightly.
The republican comet, Blaine, has
arrived here. HIS arrival has Gre
ated a great cOmmotion in the pOliti-
cal firmamant; his satellites, such as
Senators HiscOck, Plumb, Chandler,
and Representatives Phelps, Boutelle
and others of that ilk are sailing
around with an air of great impor-
lance, while his rivals, such as
Senators Sherman and Edmunds,
are revolving around with great
dignity and taking especial care to
keep out of the way of the fiery tail
Of the comet; they realize that there
is great danger to them, should a
collision take place. The appearance
of a comet in the sky has from time
immemorial been considered the
certain fOrerunner of wars and dis
turbances, and the longer the tail the
greater the disturbance or war. The
Blaine comet has a very long tail,
and the war presaged is likely to be
correspondingly long and bitter,
ending only with the destruction of
the combatants. But as the COM
batants are all in the the republican
party, there need be no great grief
over their humiliation. 1t is under
stood that Senator Hiscock was the
bearer of Blaine's ultimatum to
Harrison; it not only demanded that
Blaine should sit at the head of the
cabinet table, as Secretary of State,
but that he should have the naming
of at least two other members of the
cabinet. Harrison has not yet given
his answer, and the sudden appear
ance of the Blaine comet at the Capt.
tai, and the marshalling of the vari-
Gus planets into brilliant constella.
ton, is all for the purpose of impress.
ing the Harrison sun with the i'm
mense power for good or for evil
which is welded by the comet
Whether the comet shall destroy the
sun or the sun the comet, is matter
of indifference to the democratic
observers gathered in the national
observatory for the purpose of enjoy
ing the free pyrotechnics. Fire the
big guns, and let the show begin
The nation is assembled to witness
the fun.
The Senate plods along in its con
sideration of the tariff bill. The re
publicans have struck a dangerous
snag in the sugar question. Wher
the paragraph reducing the duties 81
per cent on imported sugar wa
framed it was known by the republi
cans that it would bankrupt the su
gar planters of Louisiana, but for tina
they cared nothing, as they expected
no votes from that state: but now
they have discovered that it will dc
equally as much damage in republi
can Kansas and California, both o
which states have protesting delega
tions here now; that of the latter be
ing headed by Claus Spreckles, know
all over the world as the sugar king
The result is, the Senate finance com