Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-11-24
THE LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK.
Bills Which the Democratic Minority viii
Strive to Defeat.

Bills which the Democratic Minority VIII
Strive to Defeat.
THEY ARE MOST ANXIOUS ABOUT THE REAPpoR-
T1oNMENT AND WILL OPPOSE ANY BILL BASED
ON THE RETURNS OF THE ELEVENTH CENSUS
THE PLAN OF THE REPUBLICANS.
The democrats do not want an extra session
OF the Fifty-second Congress next spring. and
they may be depended on not to adopt line of
policy designed especially to make such a ses-
sion necessary. If the republicans want to
take up the appropriation bills and hurry them
forward, the indications are that the democrats
will lend them assistance. Messrs. Sayors and
Mutchler, the two democratic members Of the
appropriations committee in the city, express
the opinion that the appropriation bills will all
be passed and that there will be no delay about
their passage, unless the republicans brush
them aside to take up the consideration of
other matters.
TWO BILLS TO BE DEFEATED.
There is very strong determination on the
part of the democrats, however, to defeat both
the federal election bill and the bill for the re-
apportionment under the eleventh census, and
it is not improbable that both measures may be
defeated unless there is a change of legislation
methods in the Senate
The anxiety to defeat what they would con-
slider partisan apportionment bill is even
greater than that to keep the federal election
bill from resurrection. 1t is not believed that
the Senate can do anything with the latter meas
ure, but since the election the democrats are
They do not believe that it
would be operative, and it is understood that
they have plan to prevent its having any
effect on the presidential election, even should
it be passed and an attempt be made to make
it effective in the congressional contests. The
plan is said to be to change the manner of
choosing electors in the southern states having
them selected by the legislatures instead of at
the polls on the day of the general election in
November, the election Of the legislature hav-
ing this power to occur before the general cleo
ton. This would be constitutional and would
take the presidential election in these states
out OF the supervising care OF the federal elec-
ton law. The congressional election would of
course, occur under the law so tar as it was
operative.
MORE ANXIOUS ABOUT THE ApPoRTIoNMENT.
But the democrats are much more anxious
about the apportionment. They question the
correctness of the census itself in the first
place, and in the second place suspect the re-
publicans of designing to so manipulate the ap-
portionment as to put the democrats at dis
was no attempt at an accurate enumeration of
the population of the whole country, and that,
consequently, they have been deprived Of a
gain of some fifteen or twenty Congress-
men, which they expected. They expect
that the republicans will attempt to
cut them out of several other Congressman by
the method OF reapportiOnment, and they are
prepared to enter into vigorous and pro-
tracted exhibition of kicking" An investiga-
tion of the method of taking the census will be
demanded by the democrats soon after Con-
gress meets, and every effort will be made to
prove to the public the correctness of the as
sumption of unfairness in the census. If the
republicans of the House regard the "whip''
sent out from the White House urging their at
tendance upon the sessions of tie House, and
Mr.. Reed succeeds in holding quorum of his
own party, nothing can be done to prevent the
passage there of such an apportionnent bill as
the Majority decided upon but the absence of
a quorum of their own will be fatal to their
plans. But the democrats believe that they
can prevent the passage through the Senate of
any apportionment bill which they regard as
unfair. -----~-----
REPUBLICAN PLAN FOR LEGISLATION.
There are other measures besides the appor-
tionment and election bills which make it de-
sirable for republicans to have full attend
ance Of their party. They have constructed
their program for this session on a pretty large
plan and it will take hard work and prompt
ness to carry it out. 1t is regarded by some of
the leaders as very important that the two
steamships subsidy bills and several railroad
and land bills be passed during the session,
and there are many other measures
on the calendar which they are anxious
to get rid Of. The chances are, while the demo-
Gratis will not try to defeat the appropriation
bills for the purpose Of necessitating an extra
session, that all of these bills viii! receive very
full discussion, the purpose of the minority be-
ing to show that the republicans have been ex-
travagant. This and the defense of the ma
jority is liable to take ur considerable time
The pension appropriation bill and the def
cheney for pensions will provoke particularly
earnest discussion.
ANOTHER FREE COINAGE PROPOSITION.
The silver men will be on hand with another
proposition for free coinage. The battle over
the compound lard and pure food bills prom
ises to open up actively Mr.. Blair has his
labor bills still before the Senate and Mr. Ed
munds' anti-Mormon bills the revenue marine
transfer, the bill for the relief of the Supreme
Court the bankruptcy bill, the copyright bill
and many other measures of greater or less i'm
portance will put in a claim for time during
the session.
DRY DOCK BIDS.