The morning call., 1892-02-21
IT IS A DEMOCRATIC DELAY.
IHdBpOSitiOn 10 Agree Upon a Course
Of Procedure.
ALL CONGRESSIONAL ACTION CHECKED.
Silver Men Determined 10 Have the Bland
Bill Considered Before the Tariff
Question is Discussed.
Special to THE MORNING. CALL


WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 90 - There
is feeling of uneasness on the part Of
Democratic members of the House over
the condition of business in that cham
ber, and the indispositiOn to get together
and agree upon programme for business.
At present, matters are simply drifting
along with no visible desire to bring order
out of the confusion which prevails. The
silver question is the most discouraging ele-
ment. The tariff bills and annual apprOpri-
alton bills will soon demand great deal Of
attention. and it is agreed there must
shortly come a time when the programme
Of business for some months to come must
be settled upon if anything is to be accom-
plshed. The absence of Catchings has
delayed the meetings OF the Rules Commit
tee for some days past, and the health of
the Speaker has made it necessary that he
should seek respite from public affairs.
while the House is temporarily In recess on
account of the visit of a number Of members
in Chicago. 1t is probable the whole DEM
ocratlc policy will be considered at a eau
Gus, and a programme of action outlined as
far as possible.
Silver Before Tariff.
The silver men all say they have no in
tentlOn to antagOniZe the tariff and other
measures, rs they are as good tariff reform
ers as any other members of the House.
They say, however, they will not consent
that tariff and other measures shall be used
to prevent consideration of the silver bill,
and if, as they do not believe TO be the
case they should ascertain this is the policy
OF the promoters of the tariff bill they will
insist, in season and out of season, on taking
up the silver question.
Chairman Bland of the Coinage Commit
tee voiced the sentiments of his associates
to-day. He said: Before we take up the
tariff bills and appropriation bills there
must be an agreement on just what we are
going to do. There must be an understand
ing from the beginning or else silver will be
here as long as the tariff and appropriations
and talked of as much as anything else be-
fore the House Is in condition to take up
tariff reform and consider tariff bills. But
if their programme is to keep the tariff here
always and not TO do anything on the silver
question, then we will consider them all to-
gether. There is no disposition against
taking up the tariff, providing we can have
an understanding that it is not to be run as
machine to knock out silver.
To XIII the Silver BIZ.
Il have heard reports that the tariff is TO
be kept here, not for the purpose of passing
a tariff bill, but to kill silver. | want il un-
derstOOd that | dOn'tthink there is any such
intention, But if such an intention should
be disclosed, we will take an opportunity TO
force silver TO the front and to tack silver on
the tariff and every other bill. do not be-
lieve, as | have said, all these reports and
runners about knocking out silver with the
tariff ana appropriation bills, but If we find
out that that is the game We have a way to
meet it. and the silver bill as an amendment
will be added TO every bill which comes up
We 10 not intend the minority shall run over
the majority in that way, and we have a
majority in favor Of the silver bill. The
silver bill will not be kept down by any tao
tics of that kind. 1t will be kept forward
constantly and by attempting to keep it
down they would make it the biggest issue
of all. l shall not oDstruct tariff bills but
we must know what is to be done about the
consideration of the silver issue. They can
paddock mans mouth or stop bringing up
the question:" said Bland in ecOnclusiOn,
"and i don't think they Will attempt to kill
silver with the tariff"
A Compromise Conference.
A meeting looking to a monetary confer
ence will De held at Secretary Fosters resi-
dence in this city Monday morning. SecFe-
taTy Foster, Senator Teller, Senator Aldrich
and perhaps other prominent public men,
representing both sides of the silver QueS-
tiOn. Will attend. 1t is understood the meet
ing is for the purpose of etfectng COM
promise by which the administration will
lend its efforts to calling an international
monetary conference, if the Republican
Senators who favor the free-coinage idea
will agree to prevent the passage of free
coinage bill this session.
Utah and Oregon.
The delegates who appeared before the
Senate and House Committees on Territories
during the past week or so favOring bills to
give local government to Utah closed their
presentation of the case this morning before
the Senate Committee on Territories Ex-
Governor West thought the passage of the
bill would demonstrate to the people of the
country that the people of Utah were
capable of governing themselves.
Attorney General Miller has advised the
Treasury Department that, while the law
providing for public building at Portland,
Or, does not legally prohibit the c0nstruc-
tion of the building in East Portland, il is
evident the purpose and intent are that the
building should be erected within the lines
of the city proper. TIE Treasury Depart
ment has not yet acted in the matter.
Personal Mention.
Mrs. Harrison gave public reception this
afternoon, which attracted more people to
the White House than ever assem- bled there
before on similar occasion. Six thousand
one hundred people entered the mansion,
and when the reception closed hundreds
were still awaiting admission.
The members Of the family of Senator
Quay, now in the city, say they have no un-
easDess IN regard to his condition. Some
friends. just returned from Florida, say
they left the Senator just recovering from a
bad cold, but otherwise in his usual health.
The President is suffering from au obsti-
nate cold, and has been compelled to de-
cline number of invitations for next
week.
The friends and relatives of William
TuTnbull, one of the sailors Of the Balti-
more who was killed in Valparaiso October
16, will soon file claim against the Gillian
Government for indemnity.