The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-07-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
Washinntnn Inlu IL 1900

Senator German has, by general
consent, been put in charge of demo-
cratic interests in the fight which it is
now evident will soon be engaged 10
upon the floor of the Senate. It will
be consolation to democrats through.
out the country to know that under
his skillful leadership everything will
be done which is possible TO be done
10 prevent the consumation of the re-
publican threat of throttling the minor
ity in the Senate, as Speaker Reed has
already SO effectually done in the
House.
The republican Senators who have
been opposed to the new Force bill,
otherwise kpown as the Federal elec.
ton bill, are slowly yielding to the
pressure which has been brought to
bear upon them. Even Senator Evarts
1t is said has, under, compulsion prom.
ised the new republican boss Repre-
sentative Belden-that he would vote
tor the bill. 1t now looks as though
the bill would become law. 1t is re-
garded by the republicans as a last
desperate chance to gain enough
Congressman in the South to offset the
losses which they are certain to have
In other sections. In fact Mr.. Belden
openly uses this as an argument to
convert republican opponents of the
measure.
Many OF the more decent republi.
cans are disgusted with Mr.. Beden's
attempt to manufacture sentiment in
favor of the Force bill, by sending
that remarkable appeal to the republi-
can editors to come TO the rescue of
the g. o. Z.
Much Indignation is expressed here
over rumor which has leaked out
through British sources TO the effect
that MIR. Blaine has completely backed
down in the Behring Sea negotiations,
and that Great Britain is TO have
everything her own way. Should it
turn out to be true, goodbye to Mr..
Blaine as public man. The Ameri-
can people forgive everything except
cowardlce.
The two subsidy shipping bills,
about which, for certain reasons and
promises, Mr.. Harrison has been fret
ting great deal, have passed the Sem
ate Even such hide-bound republicans
as Senators Edmunds and Plumb could
not stand this bill, which will take
millions--just how many no one can
say-out of the Treasury, all of which
will 60 to certain well known ring
already formed in anticipation of the
feast at public expenses which awaits
them when the bills become laws.
Thanks to the solid republican vote
of the Senate and Of the House, it now
only requires the signature of Mr..
Harrison to complete the degradation
Of silver and put it on the same foot
ing as coal and iron or any other COM
mercial commodity. Senator Sherman,
the man who ls responsible for demon
etizing silver in 1875, is also responsi.
bic for this latest fraud upou the peo-
pie, under the guise of friendship. Mr..
Sherman is, and always has been the
humble tool of Wall Street, and the
provisions of this silver bill, with
which he so adroitly bamboozled his
colleagues of the Conference COM
mittee, are all in the interest of those
money sharks. No democrat stulti-
fed himself by supporting it.
Speaker Reed is as mad as a hornet
over an article signed "X. NC" which
appears in the current North Ameri-
can Review, showing the mistakes
which he Reed) has made since he be-
came Speaker. What adds to his
anger is the fact that the article is
generally understood to have come
from Mr.. Blaine, who is madly jealous
of the prominence the Speaker has re-
Gently gained, although .''Gail Hamil.
ton is the writer of it.
The tariff bill is Low the unfinished
busines" of the Senate, the majority
having repented of the "cussedness'
which made them refuse to take it up
last Monday. How fast it will be
pushed through will depend largely
upon the action of the republican eau.
Gus.
1t has been the boast OF Speaker
Reed that the House was no longer a
deliberative body, and now that the
Sen ite seems about to adopt the gag
Rules of the House, the question nat
urally arises, why not abolish Congress
and let those immaculate saints who
now run the republican party decide
upon what shall become lawsl There
Is one conclusion however. The furth-
er the republicans go in their encroach.
ments upon liberty, the more certain it
is that the people will rise in their
might and thrust them from the power
which they have SO glaringly misus-
ed.
Gen. Schofeld will soon be Lieut..
General OF the Army, unless the re-
publican bosses shall decide that the
bill reviving that grade in the Army,
which has been favoradly reported
from the House committee on Military
Affairs, shall not be passed beca use the
officer to be promoted under it is not a
republican.