Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-12-11
Washington Letter.
lFrom onr Regular Correspondent

/ A1N~1-
one cent. and it has been referred to the
Senate committee on. pOstoffiees and
post roads. This is no buncomb meas
ure; the Senator is in earnest and he
proposes. if it be possible, to have the
bill voted upon at the present session.
and owing to the rapidly growing pub
lie sentiment in favor of one cent letter
postage there is little doubt of it's pass
age, if it is voted upon.
The know-it-all gentlemen who have
for several months been telling the
country that the Federal election bill
was Dead must have experienced some
chagrin when the republican Senators
voted solidly to take up this bill and to
continue its consideration to the OK
clusion of all other business (after the
''morning hour") until it is disposed of.
Senator Hoar says that he is confident
that the bill will finally pass before the
first of January. but that it will be the
cause of one of the sharpest and most
determined struggles eyer waged in
Congress. He hopes that the demo-
Gratis will see the wisdom of acquiescing
without resorting to flllibustering. But
there is little probability that such will
be the case. The bill can never be
passed by the Senate until the rules of
that body are changed so as to limit de-
bate. and that change, which can only
be made by the united and persistent
efforts of the republican majority, will
be opposed by all the parliamentary
methods known to the democratic
minority. One scheme of the demo-
Gratis has already been made public,
whereby they hope to defeat the elect
ton bill. 1t is to offer as a substitute
for all that portion of the bill after the
enacting clause, a bill for the free
coinage of silver.
There are several reasons, however,
why this scheme is almost certain to
fail. The principal of which is the
the idea that has ia some way
become general around the Capitol,
that the President will veto a free coin
age bill if Congress passes one.
This idea of veto has not deferred
Senators Plumb and Teller and num-
Der of Representatives from introducing
bills providing for the free coinage of
silver, and Mr.. Teller said to day that
he felt perfectly confident that some of
these bills will be passed by the Senate
at the present session OF the action
of the House he is not so confident.
There are radical differences in these
bills. For instance, Senator Plumb's
bill provides for double unit of value
"a dollar of 412l grains standard silver
% 8 grains of gold) of full legal tender
quality, while Senator Teller's bill fixes
the weight of the silver dollar at 400
grains of standard silver, and contains
no further addition to existing law for
the coinage of bullion received at the
minis.
Senator ingalls, has introduced a
joint resolution to appropriate sum of
money to purchase seeds to de distribu-
ted gratis among the citizens of Kansas
and Nebraska suffering from the effects
of the recent drought.
Senator Henderson has presented a
petition which offers the most practical
solution of the Indian problem yet pre-
sented, 1t asks that the Indians be
deprived of their horses and that the
Government issue to them in lieu there
of working oxen. Speaking OF this
matter Senator Henderson said: "An
Indian cannot fight very much if
mounted upon an OK, but he can pillow
all he wants to. We have been giving
these Indians ponies for farm work, but
they have never used them except as
saddle animals. The disarmament and
dismounting of the fractions tribes is
necessary and should be accomplished
at once. An Indian believes his highest
mission to be the killing of fellow
being; white man preferred. A reso-
luton has been adopted by the Senate
calling upon the Secretary of Wan for
information as to what steps have been
taken toward disarming the Indians.
Secretary Blaine, in company with
the Brazilian naval officers who have
been visiting Washington, occupied the
diplomatic galleries of the House and
Senate for an hour or two on Tuesday.
The Presidents message made a
wonderful impression upon Congress,
Notwithstanding it contained no new
recommendations II dealt with the
political situation in dignified straight
forward manner that could not fail to
command the respect of friend and foe