The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1890-12-11
Washington Letter.

Dill Tor the I6QuCLlOll VI lCCtOl POoI-
age to one cent, and it has been re-
fcrred to the Senate committee on
Postofices and Post Roads. This IS
nosbuncomb measure; 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
tie rapidly growing public sentiment
in favor of one cent letter postage
there is little doubt of its passage 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 consid-
Grafton to the exclusion of all other
business latter the morning hour J
until it is disposed of. Senator
Hoar says 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 ever
waged in Congress. He hopes that
the Democrats will see the wisdom of
acquiescing without resorting to fill
clustering. But there is little proba-
bility that such will be the case.
The bill can never be passed by the
Senate 4ntil the rules of that body
are changed so as to limit debate,
and that change, which can only be
made by the united and persistent
efforts of the Republican majority,
will be opposed by all the parliament
tary methods known to the Demo
cratic minority. One scheme of the
Democrats has already been made
public, whereby they hope to defeat
the election 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, how
ever, why this scheme is almost GER
tain to fail, the principle of which is
the idea that has in some way be-
come general around the Capitol,
that the President will veto a free
coinage bill if Congress passes one.
This idea of a veto has not de-
tered Senators Plumb and Teller
and a number of Representatives
from introducing bills providing for
the free coinage of silver, and Mr..
Teller said to day that he felt per-
fcctly confident that some one of
these bills will be passed by the Sen
ate at the present session. Of the
action of the House he is not so con-
fident. There are radical differences
in these bills. For instance, Senator
Plumbs bill provides for double
unit of value "a dollar of 4I24 grains
standard silver or 25.8 grains Of
soId) of full legal tender quality,
while Senator Teller's bill fixes the
weight of the silver dollar at 400
grains of standard silver. and con-
tains no further addition to existing
law for the coinage of bullion re-
ceived at the minis.
Senator ingalls, has introduced a
joint resolution to appropriate sum
of money to purchase seeds to be
distributed gratis among the citizens
of Kansas and Nebraska suffering
from the effects of the recent
drought.
Senator Henderson has presented
4 petition which offers the most
practicable solution of the Indian
problem yet presented. 1t asks that
the Indians be deprived of their
herscs and that the Government is
sue to them in lieu thereof working
exen. Speaking of this matter Sem
ator 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 ex-
cept as saddle animals. The dis
armament and dismounting of the
fractions tribes is necessary and
ah0i1Id he accommodated ar once An