The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-01-06
The FEDERAL ELECTION BILL IS DEAD.
Silver Senators, by a sudden Attack,
swept IL One sIdo.
The Half hearted Action of Some Re-
pubIIcans Partly Responsible.
A Free Coinage Measure Expected to
Pass House and Senate.
Especial 70 the Press.l

WASAlNdIONs JhuuaIy O.-1uS lSuCloi
election bill received what is universally
conceded to be its death blow In the Senate
this afternoon. The silver Senators from
the West Joined the Democrats, suddenly
and without warning, and in few moments
the deed was done. A short roll call and
then perished the hope Of the Republican
patty of enforcing respect for the 18th
amendment Of the constitution and Of carry
ing out the promises of the party reiterated
in every national convention for nearly 20
years. The jealous and disorganizet Re-
publican Senators were as defencee ess and
pusillanimous in the movement Of final ke-
feat as they have been inefficient and power
less during the whole contest.
1t was, perhaps. fitting as anything could
be that at the moment when the state SOW
ereignty Democrats won their greatest vic
tory over the Republican party, and when 1t
was definitely decided by a vote of the SEN
ate that the notification of one Of the great
results OF the war Is the proper course the
man to occupy the chair of the presiding Of
ficer of the Senate should be Isham G. Har-
ris of Tennessee. Harris helped carry Ten
neSsee into secession, despite the will of her
people. and when President Lincoln called
for troops Harris, as governor of that state,
sent back defiant and hostile reply. Today
he was able to preside when the
seal Of disapproval was put upon one Of the
great results OF the war; On leaving the
called Harris to the chair. 1t is quite fire.
quent act of courtesy for Mr.. Morton to call
Democrat Many think that the silver
Senators tnok advantage of Harris's pres
ence in the chair to carry out their combina-
tion with the Democrats and that Stewart
understood that Harris was ready to recog-
nize him to move to lay aside the elections
bill. AT any rate, the thing was done very
quickly and, in spite of Mr.. Hoar's protest,
the elections bill was laid aside to take up
the financial bill, which means that the ee:-
tions bill Is laid aside for good. The vote
was "a to 27. The new Idaho Senators, who
nave scarcely gotten into their seats, had
Joined the combination.
OF the Maine Senators, Mr.. FRYE was
present and voted against laying aside the
bill. Mr.. Hale was absent, called away a
short time before by important business"
1t was announced by his colleague. VINO also
said that Mr.. Hale was paired with Mr..
Ransom OF North Carolina. but Ransom be-
Ing present, the pair was shifted, and Hale
and Hampton both being absent, were
matched off against one another. So, in
Justice to Mr.. Hale, it may be said that he
counted as possibly one on the Republican
side when the vote came.
Sn, also, did most Of the rest Of the coterie
OF Republican Senators who should have
supported the bill heartily, but whose iDdif-
ference or secret opposition has done far
huIo uaudRo LudH could De repaired Dy tnelr
nominal support OF the measure on the last
vote. Had the elections bill received the
sincere support of the Republican Senators
who have been nominally for 1t, 1t would
have been passed long ago. But all sorts of
jeal0usies and distrusts have paraly zed the
Republican party in the Senate. No man
among them has been leader, but all have
seemed to want to be leaders. Mr.. Hoar
went ahead oily to fnd Teller and Hale
critlcizing him to the great delight and profit
M 10 rot n hi
marching up hill for twenty days or more
the Republican Senate now turn about
and march down with more haste than
dignity. Having contributed by their need
less pr crastinatiOns to the defeat of NOvem-
Der, they have now done the one thing
needed to make recovery from that defeat
more difficult than ever. As the fnal act,
the elections bill was sold out for silver but,
had IL been pressed with proper energy
when 1t first came from the House, such a
result would probably have been averted.
The fate of the elections bill was quickly
noised over the Capitol ana 1t was learned
with with profeunG qualification by the
p%rty n"d reeryed ns the blow PS iSa,
silver was to profit by it. Immediately upon
receipt of the news in the house there was
an attempt by the Democrats to bring up
free coinage bill. 1t was not successful, but
It's regarded as certain that free coinage
bill will pass the House as well as the Sen
ate The President will veto it and that
will probably end it for this Congress, Free
coinage was defeated in the House in the
last session only by the greatest eff 'rts of
the Republican leaders. Many western
representatives who opposed it then and
nave been defeated can no longer be relied
ON to make fight such as they made last
session.
Congressman MilliFen succeeded in get
ting through the House this afternoon bill
paying $1,000 to the owners of the brig Keno
phoD, Belfast vessel which General Butler
took for the use of the government at New
Orleans during the war. This is an addi-
been settled already. The circumstances Of
the passage of the bill today were somewhat
remarkable. As the roll call proceeded, Mr..
Milliken saw that the bill was likely to be
lost through lack of a quorum. Instead of
abandoning 1t to its fate, he started out into
the committee rooms and through the corri-
durs, calling upon all the members whom he
could md to come and help his bill. By this
method ne got In just enough to save the bill
with one to spare.
An additional installment Of the Bering
Sea correspondence was transmitted to Con-
gress today. 1t merely carries forward the
controversy, without arriving at any result
other than showing that Mr.. Blaine and
Lord Salisbury are In a humor rather worse
than usual with each other. Mr. Blaine
abandons the contention that Bering Sea is
mare ctduSotrn. but still contends that tn g
United States has a jurisdiction, and he will
not arbltrate unless Salisbury will acknowl
edge this jurisdiction. Salisbury will
aroltrate, but only when the United
States will waive this claim of
Jurisdiction. The correspondence
is chiefly notable for the sharp, not to say
1iscuurteous tones, in which Mr.. Blaine and
Lord Salisbury address each other.
New cIfv Hova a,or,arta