The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-13
Democrats in Congress Adopt
Policy of Inaction.
AFRAID OF SILVER LEGISLATION.
Stupidity of the Attack on Blaine's
Popular Reciprocity Idea.
The Senate Passes an Appropriation for
Two Puget Sound Revenue Cutters
Lawyer Pritchard, of Tacoma, After
an Once-The Idaho Senatorship.

WASHINGTON CITY, j an. L. Spcclal line
delay of the Democrats in getting down to
business and organizing the House is an in
dication that the leaders have decided on
do-nothing policy in the first session of
this congress. The illness of Speaker
Crisp, of course has had something to do
with the lack of interest shown by the
members on the Democratic side, but not
withstanding this fact, there is every rea-
son to believe that the majority has no
idea OF transacting very much business at
any time dur ng the first session.
The real purpose of the Democratic lead
ers is to prevent any important legsla-
ton, and every effort is to be made it is
believed, by these leaders to prevent the
passage of a free coinage bill and to take
no important action on the tariff question.
In event the free coinage issue is raised
the leaders hope to straddle this question
in the coming campaign. Some of the
Democratic members have claimed that
certain amendments to the Mckinley tar IF
law will be passed by the House, but
1t is question if very many
of the important clauses will be attacked.
The ways and means committee will re-
port several amendments to the Mckinley
law. and Chairman Springer and other
leaders on the Democratic side will create
a great deal of bluster with a view TO
making campaign thunder in the presi-
Dental contest.
The Democrats have already made
great blunder in attacking the reciprocity
clause of the Mckinley BILL The blunder
was made by Congressman Breckenridge
of Kentucky, but it is believed that he was
advised to do 1t by several of the would-be
leaders on his side of the chamber. If there
is anything in the Mckinley law that
is popular with the masses in this country,
it is the reciprocity clause. Any move to
repeal this law would be rebuked at the
polls next November 1t may have been
the purpose of Breckinr1dge and his col
leagues to attack this portion of the Nc
Kinley law in order to overcome some of
the popularity of Secretary Blaine, who is
the originator of this clause The Demo-
Gratis understood full well that in order
to win in the next presidential
campaign they must have some other man
in opposition to their nominee than the
man from Name. They understand full
well that none of the men in their party
who have become prominent as presi-
Dental candidates will stand any show of
election if Secretary Blaine accepts the
nomination that will be rendered him at
the Minneapolis convention next June.
1t is deemed probable that the ways and
means committee of the House will make
one very radical departure from the past
practice of the committees. This will be
declining to afford prolonged hearings to
those various interests likely to be
affected by proposed legislation. The
sense of the Democratic majority is clearly
in favor of limiting the work of the COM
mittee to the preparation of less than a
dozen bills, affecting only that number of
articles of Importance, and those interests
desiring hearings have been requested to
reduce their statements to writing.
Daniel Mckeever, secretary of the New
York Association of Importers, and Mr..
Worrell, q member of that association. to-
day applied to Chairman Springer for a
hearing to correct what they characterize
as general erroneous impression in regard
to the workings of the Mckinley act.
These gentlemen stated that there had
been much larger falling off in the I'M
portation of woolen goods under the opera
tion of the Mckinley law than appeared
by the report of imports and exports fur
nished by the treasury department.
They cited the fact that the Nc
kinley law provides that all goods
in bond on or prior to October l,
1890, could remain in bond until February
l, 1891, and on being taken out would be
subject only TO the duties imposed by the
act of March g. 1883. Hence these gentle
men maintain that the basis of determin-
ing the decrease of importations of WOODEN
goods under the Mckinley act was to
make a statement dating from February /.
1891, to the present time. That statement.
they said, would show falling off of more
than so per cent. In imports of WOODEN
goods, and a large decrease in other imports
except sugar and tin plates. Receipts of
customs since the passage of the McKin-
ley law should date from February |, 1891.
for the purpose of comparison with pre-
vious duties. At the suggestion of the
chairman il was agreed that the New
York Association of Importers, or the two
gentlemen themselves, should reduce
their statements and comparisons to
writing for formal presentation TO the
whole committee.