Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1892-05-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
River and Harbor Appropriation
Bill in the Senate.
Mckinley Presidential Possibility.
General Gossip.
[From our Regular Correspondent. !

WASHINGTON, D. c., May 13, '92.
The Senate will not, if all reports are
true, be in such very great hurry to
pass the River and Harbor Bill that ha.
just come over to it from the House
Indeed, the reverse appears to be the
case, and it is whispered that the Sen.
ate intends to hold the bill as a club
over the head of the House, pending
the action Of that body on the remain,
ing appropriation bills that have t,
come before it. There has been an al.
together too economic streak developed
in the House over the distribution of
pork" found in the River and Harbor
Bill, and proneness toward the seal.
ing of appropriations which presages
evil for the welfare of the departments
and lack of funds before the fiscal
year is out. This the Senate proposes
to prevent if it is possible to achieve
/ such result in any way whatever. II
is argued that the estimates of officials
have been put at the lowest possible
notch, and the conduct of the House,
as evinced in the Sundry Civil Bill
, now under consideration, shows that
that body intends to cripple the public
service by withholding funds, and that
If this can not be prevented in any 9TH
er way it must be done by coercion.
If then the appropriation bills that are to
be dealt with as it now seems they will
be, the River and Harbor Bill will be a
long time coming to the front. In the
meantime if this condition arrives the
Democrats in the House who think
they will get away in ample time to re-
pair their fences and spend several
weeks with their constituents, telling
them all about how it happened and
why they did this or that, will only be
able to do SO by the consent of the
House. That consent will not extend
to a number sufficient to prevent the
party gathering in aquorum when they
want it; SO that after all, it may hap
pen that the summer will come and
go, conventions will have made history,
and the campaign be well on before
members can turn their backs on the
capitol without the fear in their hearts
OF Deputy Sergeant Ike and his en-
blematic goose"
Quite number of Mr.. Mckinley s
friends in the House are at a loss to
understand why he does not openly
proclaim himself a candidate. 1t is
known to some of them with whom he
talked before his nomination for Gov
ernor of Ohio, that he himself regarded
the Gubernatorial position merely as a
stepping stone to the highest place of
all, and they are anxions that he should
enter the ranks in order that they may
work for him. 1t was recalled yester-
day by a Republican Representative
who is on close terms of intimacy with
Governor Mckinley, that the latter,
acting on the advice of his friends,
said very little about the silver question
in his campaign, and that even such a
pronounced silver advocate as Francis
G. Newlands in an interview said that
Mr.. Mckinley was at heart bi-metal-
ist. With this record on the silver
question, which would make him ac-
cepable to the West, and with his iden-
tification with the idea of protection to
give him strength in the East, his
friends think that he would make a
most available candidate, and upon the
slightest hint from him they would at
once begin to work for him. These
sentiments were expressed yesterday by
at least one member who is otherwise
favorable to the nomination of Presi-
dent Harrison.
The opinion advanced in connection
with the nomination of 7. j. Coolidge
to be Minister to France, that it would
be breach of courtesy to send to BIZ
metallic country a man who has advo.
Gated gold standard, represents an
over nice sense of propriety. 1t is not
expected of diplomat that he shall
assist in regulating the currency of the
country to which he is sent His per-
sonal views are insignificant as far as
his official functions are concerned.
This country, the representative Re-
public of the world, does not decline
to receive men whose sentiments are all
in favor of monarchy, and could not if
it wished. In choosing its foreign rep
resentatives the United States can not
undertake to provide exact shades of
individual opinion, nor can any other
country. 1t is enough to provide men
of ability, integrity and reputation.
The anti-silver men are entirely un-
disturbed by the effort now being made
by the silver followers to revive the bill
in the House, and boldly assert that the
scheme is due solely to the hope on Mr..
Pierce's part that the movement will
help him in securing denomination,
his convention meeting in short time.
Mr.. Pierce is, however, zealously at
work, and though he did not secure
any additional names yesterday, he be-
lieves the requisite number can be
finally had.
The pathetic efforts of Henry Wat
terson to harmonize the party to which