The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-11-14
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent


The President is hard at work on his
annual message to Congress, just as
he would have been had there been
no political cyclone. He listens
patiently to all the explanations
made by the returning Republicans
of the causes. and is satisfied that the
result was brought about principally
by stay-at-home Republicans, and
that they remained at home on ac-
count of Democratic misrepTesenta-
tiOns concerning the new tariff law
and the Federal election bill, and
/ that the number of Republicans that
! voted for Democrats is small in any
/ one locality, though 1t mounts up in
/ the aggregate.
A notable thing about the situa-
ton is, that not a single prominent
Republican who has been to Wash
ingtOn since the election feels any
alarm about the result in 1892: with
| out exception they are of the opinion
that the dissatisfaction in the Repub-
lican ranks which enabled tie Dem
ocrats TO elect such large number
of Representatives IN the Northeses{
States, will all have disappeared be-
fore the opening of the National cam
paign. This is certainly encourage
ing
"What about the election bill ?" is
a question that has been asked very
often since the election, | DO not
pretend to speak by authority, but
judging from what is said by Repuh-
lican Representatives and Senators
now here. think it will be pushed
through the Senate at once. How
eyer, nothing will be done until
caucus of Republican Senators has
been held, and as there are several
prominent Senators who have from
the start thought it unWise to pass
this bill, ii MAY be decided TO let it
drop, The President will, in all
probability, make some recommends
ton regarding this bill in his mes
sage; he has been generally supposed
to be in favor of it, but there are
rumors during the last day or two
that he now thinks it would be un'
wise to attempt tC pass it through the
Senate at the short session not be-
cause he does not think there is ii
necessity for such law, but BECAUSE
he fears Democratic filibustering
against it would take up so much
time that it would be impossible 10
pass the Congressional apportion.
ment bill, which will also he bitterly
opposed by the Democrats, in both
House and Senate, and the thirteen
regular annual appropriation bills, at
the short session. 1t is perfectly
natural that the President should
be aYerse to calling an extra session
of the newly elected Fifty-secnnd
Congress in the Spring. and the fall
IRE Of even one of the regular apprt-
| priatiOn bills 10 pass at the coming
session will leave him 10 choice in
| the matter-the passage of all the
appropriation bills before the firSt of
next July is necessary to keep the
! wheels of Government running.
Some of the shrewdest political OBJ
! Il, l. l.,
of miracle can prevent the holding
of an extra session in the Spring, and
the fact that the Democrats have
already opened the campaign for the
| Speakership Of the House in the
Fifty. second Congress, shows that
! they believe an extra session to he
/ one of the certainties. OF course the
Republicans will do their level best
to pass all necessary legislation at the
coming short session, in order to pre-
vent the holding of an extra session.
The closing session of the Fifty-first
Congress certainly bids fair to be one
OF the most interesting aud exciting
short sessions eyer held.
Speaking of the Campaign for the
! Speakership of the next House 1t is
already in full blast here. and owing
to the large and unWieldy majority
that the Democrats will have. it
promises to be unusually hot and ex.
citing. For the first time in thirty
years the Northern democrats will
find themselves able to control the
House, Unnecessary, without the aid
of a siugle vote from the Southern
States. and that they will attempt to
elect Northern Democrat Speaker is
well nigh certain. The Southern
Democrats have so long regarded the
Speakership Of the House as their
special perquisite. when the Demo.
Gratis controlled the House, that thew
are not at all disposed to give it up.
and will not without making a most
bitter fight. Already they are argu.
ing that among the Democratic Rep.
resentatiyes elected from the North.
ern States there is no man who
possesses the parliamentary knowI.