Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-01-28
THE FlFTY.secoNp CONGRESS-.
Democratic Majority Handicapped By
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The session Of congress which began
on Monday, December :, will be mainly
political in character That is TO say,
beyond such attention rs must neces-
sarily be given to the appropriations,
the principal business OF the senate aud
the house during the next eight or nino
months will he maneuvers for position
In the election OF November, 1892.
Theoretically this is not as IL should
be, and practically Il is more or less a
misfortune to the country; but II Is i'm
evitablo with the political situation
such as II Is to-day, and the compile xion
OF the house such rs was ordered by
the congress elections of 1890. The
winter spring and summer to come
will shape In congress and define for
the country the issues on which tho
presidential contest Is TO turn after the
nominations are made, We may add
that from the spcctacuar point OF view
this preliminary struggle promises TO
be particularly interesting TO republic.
ans II involves within the democratic
ranks In the Fitty.sccoud house rivalries
OF persons and of policies, bitter already
In their present developments and
highly significant in their bearing upon
larger politics.
The new house Is body in which
the democrats are TO the republicans
nearly us three To one The party In
opposition TO the administration not
only controls the house. but 1t controls
II by more than two.thirls majority
over republicans and alliance mon
combined Almost one hundred Of the
democratic members, or nearly one.
half OF the majority In the house, are
new men, who served neither in the
Ffty-frst nor In any previous con.
gress To that unprecedented extent
the party In control is without the dis.
cipline OF experience. There IL reason
to believe, moreover. that an over
whelming majority Of the democratic
majority go to Washington this year
with their minds made up that the free
coinage of silver Is an issue not 10 DO
suppressed, all considerations Of
oxpedicncy and al the hopes and pro.
grammes Of certain democratic candi.
dates for the presidential nomination
20 the contrary notwithstanding Their
democratic constituents in tho south
and west are demanding free silver;
they were elected TO force free silver
to the front; they apprchcnd that they
will not be reelected next fall II they
consent TO subordinate the silver qucs.
ton To any other question now before
tho American people, the tariff ques-
ton not excepted. With the senate
immovably republican, they reason.
any attempt to change the existing
tariff law would DO nothing better
than follyi II would count only as u
free.trade demonstration, without
practical results; but free silver, In the
event OF the election of democratic
president other than Grover Cleveland.
has not been shown TO be an impossi.
bility for the near future. and In that
direction all Of our energies should be
expended The extent aud strength OF
this sentimen mt among the western and
southern democrats elected to the Elf
ty-second congress Is perhaps not fully
appreciated NJ tho east II adds ms.
mensurably TO the pcrplexitics OF the
democratic Mulvaneys and Ortherises
whose duty II will be to whip the new
batch of democratic congress men into
Sighting trim to meet the small bu,
splendid coherent minority under the
leadership Of men like eX.Spealser
Reed. Frank Leslic's Weekly