The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-12-08
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Dec. :. 1892.

EDITOR GOLD LEAF:-'The house will
Speaker Crisp as the hand on the big
gether over the XII, and they were &C
centuated by sharp rap with the gavel
he held uplifted in his right hand; and,
the last session of the Fifty-second Con
gress was open for business. The at
tendance was fairly good for an opening
session, although the number of empty
seats on the Democratic side was entirely
too large for those who fear that absen-
teeism may give the party leaders as
much trouble at this session as at the
last. However, let us not take the shad-
ed view OF the future, but rather give
the Democratic members of the House
credit for sufficient love of party and
patriotism to see that & Democratic
quorum is not lacking at any time when
it becomes desirable to have it present,
and that is practically all the time.
Mr.. HarrisOn's annual message will
not go to Congress until tomorrow, but
your correspondent has read it, although
it was an OnerOus duty to wade through
its more than Is, 600 words, and not a
pleasure. 1t strikes me as being in the
nature of skillful lawyers plea for the
acts of the present administration and
for the legislation of the Republican Con
gress, and an altogether useless and
unnecessary one, inasmuch as the court
of final appeal-the people-rendered it's
verdict in the case nearly a month ago.
The general style OF it is far below that
OF those previously written by Mr.. Har-
risOn; but, come to think of it the circum-
stances under which this message was
prepared were such as to make it unfair
to criticise it from literary point of
view. 1t demonstrates one thing very
clearly. Mr.. Harrison still clings to pro-
lection and the other Republican ideas
which were so overwhelmingly condemned
by the American voters on the eighth of
last month.
The attendance at the opening session
of the Senate was better proportionately
than that in the House, but that may
have been largely owing to the fact and
by a resolution adopted at the last ses-
sion the anti-option bill was made the
regular order for to-day, which gives
that measure, which it will be remem-
bered has already passed the House,
the right OF way as unfinished bust
ness until it shall have been disposed
of or the session shall come to close.
as to whether this bill will be disposed
of by vote of the Senate or by the close
OF the session. Its opponents claim that
enough Senators from the South have
changed their minds about the bill to
make it certain that they can defeat it
on direct vote, but all the same they
are now scheming to prevent a vote
being taken.
There are a number of important
measures, from Democratic standpoint,
which may be brought forward and
passed by the House at this session or
may be held until the beginning of the
Fifty-third Congress, just as the Demo-
cratic conference or caucus, shortly to
be held, may decide. II is believed that
there are enough Republican Senators
willing to vote with the Democrats to
repeal the present silver law, provided
all agreement can be reached on substi-
tute, and some of them have expressed
| themselves as favOring return to the
Bland law If nothing more satisfactory
can be arranged. No help is expected by
Democrats from the International none
ktary conference, now sitting, in solving
the silver problem.
Unless several Republican Senators
shall vote differently from the way they
talk it is probable that the House bills
for the admission to Statehood OF New
Mexico and Arizona will be taken up
and passed by the Senate at this session.
This is very desirable for several reasons,
not the least of which is that it is be-
lieved that both States will send Demo-
cratic United States Senators in time to
take their seats next winter.
The cholera scare is being worked for
all it is worth to work up sentiment in
Congress in favor of a suspension of i'm
migration for one year, and it is to a
certain extent succeeding. Once con-
vince Congress that there is real danger
OF the cholera getting foothold in this
country next year, through immigration,
and the vote will be unanimous in favor
OF suspension, notwithstanding the ef-
forts of the steamship lobby -,
4 majority of the Democrats in this
Congress appear to think that present
indications point to the necessity for an
extra session of the next Congress, and
those in a position to know say that
Mr.. Cleveland is of the same mind 1t is
the work of this Congress which will de-
eide whether that extra session will have
to be held in the spring or whether it can
safely be postponed until the fall
TAR HEEL.