The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-10-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
A COMPROMISE LIKELY.
THE PRESIDENTS POSITION.
A Democratic Reform.
tFrom our Regular correspondent
WAsHINGToN, Oct. r6, ISo,

that will receive the vote of every
democratic Senator been as bright as
it is at this writing. The failure of
the attempt to compel the Senate to
vote by holding a continuous session,
which was a foregone conclusion, has
convinced those democratic Senators
who were pledged to do their best to
secure the passage of the Voorhees,
bill that unconditional repea' is under
present circumstances an imposslbility
and they are for the first time taking
part in conferences held for the pur-
pose of reaching an agreement upon 4
compromise that can be passed as 4
distinctively democratic measure, and
there are the best of reasons for the
prediction that such 4 measure will
this week be passed by the Senate.
President Cleveland is not taking
any part in these conferences. He is
still firm in the belief that uncondi-
tional repeal would be the best thing.
but he will not veto any compromise
which meets the approval OF the
democrats in the Senate and
House as any compromise will
necessarily include the vicious
purchasing clause of the Sherman
law, and probably the authority for an
issue Of bonds to strengthen the gold
reserve. The indications are that 1t
will also include the repeal Of the tax
on State bank currency. Secretary
Carlisle is reported TO have given his
opinion as to 4 compromise that would
be approved by President Cleveland
and it includes these propositions.
Laying aside personal opinions and
looking at the matter from strictly
political point of view it must at once
be apparent to those familiar with
public sentiment in the west and
south that it will be much better for
the democratic party to grant some
recognition to that sentiment in finan.
cial legislation than to ignore It. With
out votes from those sections the
party can neither elect a President
nor control Congress.
All of the Ohio republican mem
bers Of the House have been called
home to help Mckinley, who for some
reason has become very much alarmed
at the outlook. Democrats in Con
gress do not forget that Ohio is under
ordinary circumstances a republican
state, but their private advices are
certainly very favorable of late to the
democrats.
The democrats Of the House are
setting the democratic Senators
good example In keeping together.
Notwithstanding the efforts to create
dissenslon among the House demo-
Gratis over the Tucker bill for the re.
peal of the obnoxious federal election
laws, that bill was passed on schedule
time and It received the votes of every
democrat present, as well as those OF
the populists. The House then took
up the McCreary bill amending the
Geary Chinese exclusion act, which
would have been passed last week if
more members than were expected
had not desired to make speeches
thereon, causing the taking OF vote
to be postponed until this afternoon.
The democratic Congress has one
opportunity to bring about great re.
form, and at the same time save
very large sum of money that should
not be neglected. 1t is fact we'll
known to all who have ever had any
considerable business with the Treas
ury department that there is an un.
necessary amount of red tape in its
method of dealing with accounts In
volving the expenditure of money.
This is not the fault of individuals but
of the absurd system which compels
duplication of all the work done in
connection with every account which
passes through the offices OF FIVE ou,
OF the SIX auditors of the Treasury.
10 duplicate the work the clerical
force is also necessarily duplicated. It
is not good argument to say that
this duplication is a necessary safe
guard, because the work of the Sixth
Auditors Office, which handles all of
the postoffice accounts, and which has
long enjoyed the reputation of being
conducted under thorough business
system, is not duplicated, being of it
self final settlement of the accounts
upon which it passes. 1t is probable
that the joint Congressional commit.
tee now investigating the work and
methods of the various departments
will recommend that all of the bureaus
OF the Treasury department which
exist merely for the purpose of dupli-
eating the work done in the offices of
the first FIVE auditors be abolished.
They certainly ought to be abolished.
II would mean the dropping of FIVE
or six hundred needless employees
the influence represented by their
friends, many of them Senators and
representatives, is what will make the
n gL. 4 n.