The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-19
H0LMAN'S OPINION
Of the Fifty-first Congress and
Its Work.
THE BAD PRECEDENTs IT HAS SET
The Next Congress Will Reduce the Tariff
Measure-Ihe silver Question.
Especial to THE HEnA1D-Examiner Dispatch

Especial to THE acknowledgements Dispatch.
WASHINGTON, March 1S.--"What do you
think of this Congress'' someone asked
Judge Holman, the great objector.
ut was the worst in the history of the
country was the prompt reply. ayes, 1
mean it. 1t was bad in it's methods and all
its surroundings: and, worst of all, it has
made precedent which will likely have a
bad influence upon the country for all time.
1t has raised standard by which extraya-
gance will be judged in future, and rem
dered greater extravaganza liable. The
individual members of the House were
dwarfed and bad influence DOM
mated. There were some very warm
admirers of Mr.. Reed, who had
gathered around him, but, with the possible
exception OF Mr., Keller, think there has
never been speaker before who has made
as many enemies among members Of his
own party as has Mr.. Reed. Some of them
have talked to me about the way in which
members were dWarfed by the peculiar
methods which were in practice. These
methods, utter disregard Of members and
the unprecedented extravaganza of Con-
gress, will furnish an evil precedent for
the future, and the trouble is that the
worst precedents are often followed, es-
pecially when it comes to the
spending OF public money. The
Forty-fourth Congress cut under
the appropriations of the Forty-third
some S64, 900, 900, but the entire 'extraga.
gent appropriations of the FOrty-third
Congress did not amount to nearly as much
as the appropriations made at the first ses-
sion only of this Congress, which were
considerably less than those for the SEES
sion just closed. If the next Congress
should cut under the appropriations of this
Congress by Sl50,000,00 600 the percentage OF
reduction would not be as great as the
Forty fourth in comparison with the
Forty third. 1t is difficult 10 curtail an
extravaganza already begun. Nothing can
overcome the pPecedents of the late Con
gress. unless there should be popular
revolution, as there was in 1910 against the
extravaganza of the aristOCratic Van
Buren, administration. But think of it,
The expenditures for the first fifty years
of the government amounted to 10000
600 or very little more than the appro-
priations for one year of this Congress"
Passing on to the work of the next Con-
gre5s, Mr.. Holman said; Il will venture
the prediction that almost the first thing
I'donc at the opening of the Fifty second
Congress will be the passage of an act re-
quiring the election of Senators by the peo-
pie, and it will become law There is q
strong sentiment in favor OF .nhe meas
ure will be introduced in s. House as
soon as Congress meets and t2ere will be
very little delay in its passage. 1t will 20
to the Senate early enough to give them
plenty of time to act upon it. And the
Senators. whether they ike it or not, can
not afford to defeat the measure. A popu-
lar sentiment will demand change, AID
for Senators to oppose it would be con-
strued to signify a fear on their part to
trust their fates to the will of the people. l
predict the present method of electing Sen
ators will very soon be done away with"
'What do you think will be done about
the tariff in the next Congress" was asked.
"Before the 1st Of February the House
will send a tariff bill to the Senate. 1t will
be bill making moderate reduction Of
duties on lines demanded by the people,
and very considerably increasing the size
| of the free list"
"And as to silver" was the next uues-
| ton.
Il believe the next Congress will pass q
| free coinage act. There is aquestion about
the propriety of giving the benefit of the
difference between the coin value and the
market value OF silver to the few holders
of the bullion, instead of letting it go to the
whole people. | think the government
! should get the advantage The whole peo-
| pie R0G Iu6 Ueu6UI OIL GuS llCrSaS9u
value of the metal by reason of its merely
| having the stamp of the government upon
| it. | therefore favor the proposition for
the government to receive both gold and
silver at their respective market values,
and to make them into coins of certain
standard weights. | would have the coin
age of both alike unlimited, The two met
ais do not always retain the same
relation toward each other, nor
is gold dollar always the more
valuable They sometimes change places,
their relations being regulated by the supply
of each metal and by the amount of each
used in art. As we know, the silver dollar
mas been more valuable than the gold, anC
! it is liable to be so again If the free coinage
of both is provided for under the same con
| ditious. | refer to the market value of the
metal itself. But there viii always be q
seigniorage to TIE government from one
metal or the other, as they will not remain
of exactly equal value. favor the gov
eminent purchasing the metals at then
market value and issuing the coin in return
! But if it is proposed to make gold the
standard and apply this method of purchase
to silver only. then in preference to that
should favor the unlimited coinage of sill
yer. dollar for a requisite number O
grains, letting the holder of the silver ge
the benefit of the difference between thu
market and coin values. | think by on,
plan or the other the unlimited coinage O
silver will be authorized at the next Con
gress.n
"a