Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-02-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

. Irregular Correspondence of the Standard.)
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. 80, 1891.
Mr.. Harrison dies hard, very hard.
Senator Hoar and his radical colleagues
recognize that their last defeat meant
the final disposition OF the Force bill,
and they have accepted the result with
the best grace possible, although it is
far from satisfactory to them. Not so
Mr.. Harrison. He is so welded to the
idea of Federal interference in Southern
elections and its consequent benefit to
him and his party that he refuses to
believe the Force bill dead, and has be-
gun scheming for another attempt to
rush it through the Senate. He is
strongly seconded by Speaker Reed
and the House Republicans generally,
but the idea has SO far been very coldly
received by the Senators whose rccol-
lection of the two square knock downs
they have already received while bat
Ting for this unpopular and unjust
bill makes them shy OF again entering
the ring against the intelligent public
opinion of the country.
Still there is no telling what these
Republicans may do. 1t is certain
that if they saw their way clear to pass
the bill that they would again take it
up. Their desire is as strong for the
passage OF the bill as it ever was, but it
is the dread of another defeat that
makes them hesitate. Democratic
Senators are fully aware that all dan
ger from this bill will not be passed
until the close of the session, and they
will see to it that the Republicans get
no chance to catch them mapping.
That the Democrats are always ready
to aid in the transaction Of legitimate
business was shown when Senator Cor
man notified the Republican steering
committee that the Democrats were
prepared to agree to any order OF bust
ness which did not include the cloture
rule or Force bill. The programme as
arranged provides for the consideration
of the following bills, after the Appor-
tionment bill is disposed of: Eight
Hour bill, Copyright, Pure-food, and
the job of the session, the bill to guar
antee the payment of 5000, 100000 in
bonds OF the Nicaragua Canal COM
pany. 1t is certainly II suspicious cir
cumstance that this bill for the exclu-
sive benefit of corporation should
have been given place in the order
of business when dozens Of bills inn
portant to the country at large were
left out. Some music ought to be
heard when this bill gets before the
Senate, and will be, unless | am very
much mistaken.
The defeat of Senator ingalls, did
not raise a cyclone of grief at the Cap
itol.
Unless the Republicans attempt
some of their tricks it is believed that
all of the appropriation bills can be
disposed of by the 4th of March, and
an extra session avoided
Chairman Dingley, of the House
Committee now investigating the
silver pool scandal, is charged with
having intimated, i'll n conversation
with Mr.. Payne, member OF the
Committee, that Senator Vest would
never have been allowed to testify if
he had known that he would "glve
away" Senator Cameron. This charge
is not made by Democrat, Iut by a
good Republican, Gen. III. Y. BoyntOn.
Mr.. Dingley denies it, and Gen. Boyn-
ton SAYS w. b. Stevens heard the con-
versation in question. It's nice mess,
Republican mess, all through, and
before the committee finishes its labors
it will be in need of being investigated.
The arguments in the Behring sea
case were heard by the Supreme Court
this week. They contained nothing
new on either side, thanks to the on
terprise of our newspapers in having
told us two weeks ago what points
each side would try to make.
The anti-silver men have opened
their campaign against free coinage by
bringing lot of eastern bankers here
to tell the House Coinage Committee
what dangerous thing free coinage Is.
Another dodge oil the ants Is to
amend the free coinage bill so as to
make it conform to the views OF the
President. Both schemes are meant
to accomplish the same thing-delay.
and that's how it will be beaten If it Is
beaten. The committee will delay re-
porting it back to the House as long
as possible, and after it is reported
Speaker Reede will delay its consider
alton if he can, and between all these
delays the time will have become too
short to pass the bill at this session.
See? Great scheme, isn't it? Not
very original though.
Mr.. Blaine isn't saying anything
about the force bill, but he has had Il
kind of an I-told-you-so- look ever
since Mr. Harrison was knocked out at
the same time his pet measure was.
DEN.