The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1893-11-10
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, NOV. ora, 1910.
!, The silver question is about to be
settled, at last. And the settlement is
to be very different from the compro-
mise which week ago seemed TO have
been determined upon by the democra-
tic Senator's The VOORHEES, bill is to
be passed without any amendment,
although Mr. Cleveland endeavored to
have it dropped on account of its de.
claration in favor Of bi-metalism and
to have the Senate to pass the Will
son bill just us it came from the
House. Ever since the opponents Of
unconditional repeal announced that
they would no longer throw any OBJ
stacle in the way of taking a vote on
the Voorhees, bill one story has follow
ed another in rapid succession. each
pretending to give the reason for the
unexpected change Some of these
stories were interesting, but so absurd
that it was easy tC see that their only
foundation was guess work. 1t is
enough to know that the Voorhees,
bill will certainly become law during
the present week. without speculating
upon the cause Of the accom- plishment
of a seeming impossibility-that of
getting Il vote upon it in the. Senate;
the inside history of the whole busi-
ness will gradually leak out. But
Senator Germans statement of the
reason is being much talked about
He said, in effect, that Senator Sher-
man, as leader of the republicans, and
of majority of those Senators who
represented the repeal sentiment, held
the key to the situation and dictated
terms to the administration and the
Senate. This was certainly remark
able statement to come from II man
who is regarded as one of the demo-
cratic leaders of the Senate, and if the
democrats can get any comfort out of
it surely no republican will object.
The Senate is now disposing of the
various amendments to the VOORHEES,
bill, allowing Senators to square them
selves rs best they may with their con-
stituents by remarks on each of them
as they are taken up, but it is the
general belief that they will all be dis
posed OF and the main bill be passed
unamended and sent back to the
House'by Wednesday at the latest,
and possibly before then. No delay is
looked for in the House, although
there may be some trouble about get
thug Il quorum, if the silver men carry
out their threat of no voting.
Senator Sherman made very inter
esting speech on the financial condi-
ton Of the government in which he
stated that he had concluded to intro
duce later on as Il separate measure
his proposition authorizing the issuing
of $500, 100000 in five year three per
cent bonds in denominations of $50
and multiples thereof instead of offer
ing it as an amendment to the Voor-
hees bill, as he had at first intended.
He sharply criticised the democrats
for not having provided for an issue of
bonds in the pending bill and said
that the gold reserve fund was now
being illegally encroached upon by
the administration to pay the current
expenses of the government. He also
positively stated that the Secretary of
the Treasury had no authority under
the act of 1875 to issue bonds for any
other purpose than to maintain the
parity of United States With gold. He
said in conclusion "If you leave the
Secretary in the present condition of
affairs unarmed with the authority to
borrow money on the credit of the
United States, you neglect your per-
feet duty when it is plainly called to
your attention. Under existing law
there is no power to sell any OF those
bonds except for the purpose OF having
gold enough to redeem U. S. notes.
And 40 Secretary of the Treasury will
dare issue either of these species of
bonds &, l-2 and per cent? even
if the law permitted him to do So" A
sensation followed Senator Buffers
asking Senator Sherman if the Secre-
tary of the Treasury had asked for
!, bonds and the latter's intimation that
he believed he had. 1t staggered the
democratic Senators who are kept in
the dark as to the intentions of the ad-
: mlnistration.
The news from Virginia is very dis
quieting to the democratic managers.
1t seems that O'Ferrall has made his
whole campaign on the basis that the
silver question would be settled i'll
Congress by compromise, and now,
according to his own frantic kilograms
to his democratic friends, the prospect
of unconditional repeal has knocked
the bottom out of every speech he has
made in the campaign, and he regards
his defeat as probable, unless the final
vote on the Voorhees, bill can be put
off until after election The populists
say the VOORHEES, bill has made it GER
tain that they will carry Virginia,
: because of the preponderance of the
silver sentiment in the rural sections
of the state. Republicans in Congress
are, as a rule, perfectly Indifferent to
the result in Virginia. They say that
it will not in the end be OF any benefit
to the republican party to have the
populists carry Virginia. They are,
; however, enjoying the fright of the
, democratic brethren.
r