The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-19
THB Big Fight STILL ON
Little Hope of an Early
Vote in the Senate.
SENATORIAL TRADITION IN THE WAY.
Unconditional Repeal Still Backed
by a Majority.

~ hepcnt w ttnOut Conditions
Failure OF Two Efforts by Silver Senator's
to Obtain n Democratic Csucu~-A Change
ofthe Senate Rules Apparently Necessary
Before n Vote Can be Reached, but Sen.
"tor Harris Declares That the Rules
Cannot be Changed While tho Repeal
Hill Is Pending. and that Closure L. In,-
Possibie-To the Suggestion that the Vice.
President Might FYrc- Vote. He De
eIares that Even God Could Not Give Hiuu
the Authority to DO SO. and that Ir Rs
Shout Assume Such Authority uo Prob.
ably Would Not Live to Accomplish IHis
Purpos--Hot Debate In the senate, Ia
Which Senator Morgan Attacks Senator
Hin md Mr.. Teller Attacks tn, President.
WASHINGTON. Oct. 10 Tho absorbing topic
In Washington day has been Senatorial
tradition" This has been tho case in the
brilliant golden chamber OF the Senate where
every gilt panel chaRrins the slverites where
every bit Of moulding menaces that handful
with Its yellow plating. and where gold shines.
glistens and masses itself in almost every
frequently recurring detail Of the chambers
ornaments. This has been even more the case
with tho people in the Capitol and the Sem
ators who have been found outside the cham
Der. In their monometalic meeting place
the subject Of the tradition that gives to o
handful the power to delay a nation has some
times been departed from. momentarily. by
the orators Not so with the Senators and
their friends outside. There the talk has all
been upon the motions OF Lodge and Hill and
others to curtail debate and to hasten Mr..
Voorhees, oft-proclaimed era OF businesa"
1t has been the mission OF THE Sun to look
closely to-day into the question whether
closure is possible aud whether 1t Is inami.
nent 1t has been found that 1t is hardly pos
sible. 1t certainly does not appear imminent.
Nothing appears imminent except oceans OF
talk. There will be other opinions than this
in other newspapers. and well there may be.
for in SO hopeless and dense q state Of confu-
sion 1t Is easy to find an authority or an argu.
ment for any outcome that the writer's hope
for. The high and mighty members Of tho Cab
met have their opinions The silver Senators
have theirs. The repealers have theirs. The
young Senators. who hope to rev ,lution'z, tho
old body with their new ideas. have their
views and prophecies and whoever caieJ to
interview the Senate clerks and pages will
doubtless get original notions from some Of
them. But nothing talks like figures. and the
figures which foot up THE Suns analysis OF the
standing OF each Senator have not been altered.
They show that repeal has the backing OF num-
bers. and that no form Of compromise yet de-
vised Is so strong as unconditional repeal
But this was the case eight weeks ago. 1t may
be the case for eight weeks to come.
FAILURES TO OBTAIN DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS.
The news OF to-day. outside OF the formal
proceedings OF the Senate. is very little. and
yet it is important There have been two fall
ures to obtain Dem ocratic caucus. The first
person to work for such O caucus was Senator
Ncst. who evolved the idea OF getting the Dem.
ta NJ nj ahadAa NJ nj n IN al
names to an agreement to confer together.
Mr. Vest easily obtained many sgners from
among the silver Democrats. By some It 10
said that ALL or nearly all. the silverites signed
1t. but Mr. Vest did not get signature OF re-
peal Senator 1t Is said that when he went to
Senator German. that astute statesman re.
marked that the idea was good one. but
that he thought each side knew how the
other side stood. and that for his part
he preferred to reach the sllv,r men indi-
vldually-a delightful expression. which sug.
gests q whole volum, OF finesse and dlplo-
macy when 1t is uttered by such man as Mr..
German. The second failure was different.
According to custom or rule FIVE men may
appeal to the Chairman OF the caucus
committee. and Chairman OF the steering
committee appointed to put the Re-
peal bill through. 1t is understood that
fve Senators did sign the call. but that
German has decided not to call the caucus
Just now. because nothing would come
OF 1t EXCEPT a display OF the fact
that all are at sea. The silver men are not yet
ready to abandon their cause. and there might
be danger OF alternating the Republicans. Mr..
Shermans loud call to the Democracy to get
together and do something sounds very we'll
to the Republican ears. to which 1t was in re-
atty addressed. but the Democrats know that
the shrewd old fnanoier really meant for the
Democrats to unto on some compromise SO
that the Republicans can hold them RESPONSE
BILE for whatever 1t may be. That Is the Rspub-
lican game and 1t Is never lost sight Of They
are for repeal because their people want IL.
but they really hope there will be some mis-
take made. and that 1t can be charged to w
party In power.
The gossip OF tho Cabinet members is Of no
earthly account The members OF the Cabinet
can hardly pretend to be wise about Senate
which does not know its own mind. There
has been some interesting gossip about the
to-day. 1t appears that Senator
German went to see him yesterday and found
him indignant over the delay in the achieve
M ent OF repeal On the subject OF compromise
i Is said that he WAS as firm as rock against
In any shape. Senator Smith Of
New Jersey called on the President to-day to
see whether Mr.. Cleveland could attend the
% morrow
Mr. Cleveland expressed regret that the
pressure Of public business would keep him Ia
Washington. In the course Of tho conversa-
ion the situation In the Senate was referred
%. and the President In playful mood suR-
,ested that the present situation In the Senate
8 not unfavorable to repeal and added wag-
.ishly. that although there may be some bad
BOYS in the Senate Just now. they may come
.round all right In the near future.
CLOSURE IMPOSSIBLE
But the most important news OF the day ID
hat which THE sun has obtained upon the
pressing question whether closure Is a possi-
de solution Of tho present middle In le0isla-
lon. Those who have read Senator Hllrs
Ipsech OF yesterday. his interview in o-days
Sun. and his repetition OF tho points in that
In the Senate to-day. may gather
he inference that 1t Is a perfectly simple
hing for tho Nlce-President to merely
MI.