The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1892-05-11
WASHINGTON TOPICS.

Special Correspondence ofthe HERALD.
WAsHINGToN. May :, 1892
The contest between the House and
Senate over appropriations is now about
to begin in earnest. That there exists
wide difference between the houses in
their views on some of the most i'm
portant appropriation bills will be very
shortly developed. The House itself
has Just had quite IA prolonged struggle
over the consular and diplomatic bill,
which has finally passed substantially as
it came from the committee. This is
one of the bills which, in the opinion of
the extreme economists, involve good
deal of extravagance, and MIR. Holman $
committee made considerable reductions
all along the line. Salaries of ministers
and consuls were cut down and expenses
of all sorts reduced. This action met
with strong opposition from the Repub-
Democrats who do not wholly agree
with the policy of Mr.. Holman and his
followers. An especially vigorous fight
was made against the reductions apply
ing to the service in Central and South
American countries, where we are enter
ing the field as competitors for trade,
majority. The expectation is that the
Senate will restore the items to their
standing in the present law. Then will
come the usual conference committees,
and it remains to be seen which house
will back down.
During the recent embarrassment of
the House, owing to the large number
of absentees, the Republican members
made an effort to bring the majority
around to an adoption of the Reed
method of counting quorum. They
refrained from voting when there was
not a quorum of Democrats present in
the hope that Speaker Crisp would final.
ly come to an Endorsement of the Reed
rule. But the plan did not work. Con-
gress has certainly made very slow
progress for two weeks past, but the
races are not attracting SO many men,
bers now. owing to the publicity given
to the matter. and the Speaker hopes to
keep quorum constantly in attendance
hereafter.
The local conventions in the various
States are rapidly Transporting and men,
bers, who are absent looking after
denomination, are struggling along back
to their seats. Still there will be a
great many absentees on account of
politics until after the National Con-
ventions. The talk of an early adjourn
ment, therefore, is all bosh, unless
there is practical abandonment of all
attempt at legislation beyond passing
the appropriation bills. Five months
have already passed and only two or
three of these bills have got through
the House. Hence, there is ever chance
of the session lasting until September
at least. and probably longer.
Presidential probabilities constitute
the great topic here, to the exclusion of
nearly all other subjects, and there are
elements in the situation in both parties
which keep the prophets guessing. On
the surface both Cleveland and Harrison
are on the top wave, but there is an I'M
dercurrent in both cases which is grow
ing stronger every day. No political
seer of acknowledged sagacity would
to-day stake his reputation upon the
nomination of either. Within a few
days past the name of Uncle Jerry
Rusk, Secretary of Agriculture, has
been on a good many tongues and in
all the combinations recently suggest
ed by the opponents of the President,
Rusk figures in first or second place. A
ticket of Reed and Rusk or Rusk
and Reed has been much dis
cussed, but the latest suggestion and
the one which now promises to make
greater Roadway in the favor of the
opposition is Lincoln
and Rusk. There is some apprehen-
sion among the Republican leaders that
unless special effort is put forth to
hold the farmers, Wisconsin may be
lost to the party, and the same POSSIBLE
ity exists in regard to Illinois in case
Palmer is nominated by the Democrats.
Taken all round, it is universally con-
coded to be the most mixed and I'M
certain political situation that has
existed in many years.