Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-05

L .. u
less to hope for such q bill.
SILVER LEGISLATION.
another great achievement of the House of
Representatives is the silver bill. It was nee
essary to provide such increase of currency
as would supply the loss of circulation of ma
| national banks, such increase, too az would
provide growing people with the money they
| need Tor more prosperous business The min
ing camps, the great pioneers OF civilization
| In the tar west deserved also all the encour-
| agemont they could have consistent with sound
| currency and genuine bime talism On that
| subject the republicans had promised that all
the silver dollars should be furnished which
could be kept equal with gold. Such BILL
fulfilling that promise to the uttermost. now
adorns our statute books as tribute to the
| wise conservatism Of the republican majority
Of the House. Already silver seems to Re
climbing to par with safety to all the interests
! Of the country.
There was also another promise to be kept,
made long ago, and often renewed. For wears
| the republican party have declared most right
| eously that there could not be in n republic q
duty more sacred than tho duty of upholding
the right OF every citizen to participate in gov
eminent. Who has forgotten the ringing
words Of that great soldier, so soon to lie
| among the unforgotten brave on the heights Of
Arlington: The people have made up their
| minds that they will have a loyal government
and an honest ballot and q fair count?
THE ELECTION BILL.
1.-THE House Of Representatives, true to its
duty, has passed bill which, when it becomes
a law. will give to the people Of the United
States the suffrages of millions 1t will enable
| votes to be cast and to be counted rs cast.
What an enormous hubbub has been raised
| about that simple bill. There has been moth
| ing like it since Walter Scott described the up
| approach of sheriff What is this bill on
which SO many interesting epithets have been
rained. 1t is a simple proposition to have
United States supervisors to see that United
States elections OF United States officers shah
| be honestly conducted; that all honest votes
! shall be cast and honestly counted as cast II
| there be any man in this country who opposes
this bill there will not be many years before he
Will look like those who proclaimed the divine
origin OF slavery. That the democrats now de-
| nounce with violent epithets Republican meas
ure Is no new fact in their history. So perse-
cuted they the saints. When Abraham Lincoln
proclaimed that this land could not be perma-
| nently half free and half slave the democracy
OF my younger days all declared that he said 80
because he wanted his sister to marry a negro.
So when the republicans OF our day proclaim
that in republic one million OF voters can
never be permanently DISTINGUISHED the demo-
| crat of our day shouts negro domination and
! 'bayonets.
Il need not, however. explain or defend tho
elections bill. The distinguished author of
that bill, Mr.. Lodge, has left nothing for mo
to say, since he has himself, told you the true
story OF Its meaning.
LABOR LEGISLATION.
Notwithstanding the fact that by far the
greater number of journals which represent
organized labor arc against the republican
party, Notwithstanding the fact that their
committee on legislation departed declaring,
some OF them. that no legislation could be
had from the republican House, it remains n
fact that every bill which they presented
without an exception has been taken up,
considered: debated and with proper amend
ments. has been passed. dispute also aris-
ing out of the first eight-hour law q dispute
! IN which this district is interested, which has
been before Congress long before my day, has
by this House been sent for Judicial determine
| ton to the Court OF Claims, and, if the Senate
shall agree, that vexed question shall be settled
by court of law and the men interested will
| receive their just dues or know that they never
had any.
HOW TINE rs WASTED.
"Having thus completed brief review of
the more important measures passed by the
House list Of measures which will probably
be found in importance and usefulness without
parallel in the history Of the country, should
do but scant justice to the body to which be-
long If stopped there. To fully enable you
to comprehend the magnitude OF the work
done and the courageous persistency Of the
majority must detail, even il but briefly
the difficulties under which the work has been
done. Every inch OF our progress has been
contested by the opposition. Highway rob-
berry Of time has been abolished; petty larceny
has not. Only strong. vigorous public senti-
ment prevailing among all the constituencies
Will ever do that. Some of the wastes of time
shall describe to you. We spent two months
! and half in organization, in the preliminary
| struggles to settle the right of the majority to
control. and in determining the rules of the
House proceedings. We were forced to spend
more time on contested elections than any
democratic Congress because the fraudulent
certificates came from the southern states, and
we were obliged to consume the time of the
| House IN giving those members seats who
could have had certificates in the beginning
had they been fairly treated So Justly were
the democrats treated by the returning officers
that not single republican seat has been con-
tested. Our loss Of time from contested cleo.
tons will not be less than twenty days.
TOO MUCH OBITUARY ELoQUEScE.
Zone other cause of the loss of time will be
a surprise, perhaps, to the community at
| large. No man would regret more than to
be thought wanting in all proper respect for the
dead and all proper reverence for departed
comrades and for the feelings of surviving
| friends, yet the method by which the House
shows this respect and pays this reverence is
| very costly to the nation. Since tho election
| Of the present House ten members have died
and one Senator. Among them have been the
Il
Kelly, the great champion of protection; Samuel
j. Randall, heart Of oak and will OF iron the
| strongest force in half century, and Samuel
Sullivan Cox, at once brilliant and iaborious.
| When we have paid due reverence and spoken
| proper eulogy over these and their companions
| not less than twenty-one working days will
have to be counted. This means almost an
entire month of time. When John Bright died
the English house thought it could best honor
his memory by going on with tho business of
| the country. These losses which have emu
| merated could not perhaps be helped without
| greater reforms than can be hoped for in many
years. But what is about to be described could
| be avoided by either the commonest
patriotism or a healthy public sentiment.
| In the House. II ought to be known
| all over the United States that with $50
| members II takes twenty-five minutes to make
! a roll call. Whenever the yeas and nays are
ordered it means loss OF half an hour. Our
ancestors, when they established in the Con-
| sttution the provision for the yeas and nays,
| did not know how fearful they we're wasting
the time Of unborn generations. Now the ses-
sion OF the House two years ago lasted one
month and a-half longer than the present ses-
sion thus far. During that session Of two years
| ago there were two hundred and twenty six
roll calls. OF which eighty-six were recorded
| during the long tilibuster against the direct tax
| bill, leaving but one hundred and forty which
| were seemingly legitimate. l say these one
| hundred and forty were seemingly legitimate
| for l have 10 doubt that one hundred would
| have fully complied with the demands of the