Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-01-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Written and compiled for the HERALD. |

Written anu OOinphou tOk OuC hhhALDs
WASHINGTON, January %, 1898 If
the cholera gets foothold in the United
States next summer by reason of made
quate quarantine laws, the Tammany
members of the House. aided by few
others of the Kilgore stripe, will be re-
sponsible for it. The Quarantine bill,
which recently passed the Senate with
out division is generally admitted to be
a good bill. and entirely free from even
the slightest faint of partisauship. About
the only criticism made of the measure
was that it does not actually provide for
a complete system Of federal quarantine,
but as it practically does the same thing
it was not opposed on that account 1t
was supposed that the House would
promptly pass the bill just as it was, in
order to avoid delay and possible failure
to meet the emergency that every intelli-
gent medical man in the country knows
is almost at hand, and if orders had not
been received from the Tammany boss to
oppose 1t such would probably have been
the case. As it is the TammaDy members
and few others held out against the bill
and loaded it with amendments, none OF
which have improved it, the evident OBJ
iect being to defeat quarantine leglsla-
ton. IT'S a fearful responsibility, but
what cares the Tammany crowd for that
so long as it gets its own way.
Ex-Speaker Reed, was right when he re
Gently SAID that when Congress did not
legislate 1t was simply because it did not
wish to do So and 1t is daily becoming
more certain that Speaker Crisp and his
associate bosses do not wish the House to
lecislate at this session. They have al
most decided to give the democrats
chance TO make themselves solid with the
next administration by setting day to
vote on the bill providing for suspen-
sion of the'purcbase of silver, which has
been favorably reported from the COM
mittee on Banking and Currency. Speaker
! Crisp who is the controlling spirit OF the
committee of Rules, does not in reality
favor this bill, but he has promised to
Give it a chance, and there is now only
one thing that stands in the way OF a
cloiure rule being reported, setting time
for voting on the bill, and that is the fear
that the Stewart Free-coinage bill, which
was passed by the Senate at the last ses
sion. may be offered as a substitute and
adopted. If Mr.. Crisp really thought that
this bill could ever get through the Sen
ate he would probably not have promised
to give it a chance to get through the
House.
Senator Proctor has taken mp an idea
that was the pet hobby of his predecessor,
Senator Edmunds, for many years, and
will introduce bill providing for the es-
Enlistment of great National Univer-
sity in Washington, to be under the con
troll of the Government.
Tho report that Judge Gresham had
been or would be rendered a seat IN the
coming Cabinet was not at all pleasing to
a majority of the democrats IN Congress,
although few Of them have publicly ex-
pressed themselves. 1t Is known that
Judge Gresham made secret visit to
Washington a few days ago, and that he
held conferences with Mr. Carlisle and
other prominent democrats known to be
in the confidence of the President elect.
Senator Brice says be knows that Gresham
can be in the Cabinet if he wishes to.
Democrats say that the acceptance of
the Treasury portfolio by Mr.. Carlisle
makes it certain that there will be an ad.
ministration tariff bill presented to the
House of the Fifty-third Congress, and
that it is to devote his time to the prepa-
ration of that bill that Senator Carlisle's
resignation will take effect on the fourth
of February. II this be true, it also in
dictates that an extra session Of Congress
has been determined upon, because If
Congress was not to meet until next
December there would be no necessity for
hurrying up the preparation of the BILL
Republicans do not, OF course, believe in
one man legislation, but If one man is to
prepare tariff bill the most of them
would prefer Carlisle to any other demo
crat he will make a democratic bill, and
that is what republicans want to see, be-
lieving that the inevitable result will be
the return of the control Of the Govern
ment to the republican party.
The House committee on the election of
President and Vice president has made a
favorable report on-the bill for the repeal
OF all federal election laws. The House
will almost certainly pass this bill, but it
will be useless showing of the party
cards, as there is no probability that it
will even get before the Senate at the
present session. The attempt to pass this
bill through the Senate of the next Con-
gress is certain to result in one of the
btterest and most prolonged Parliament
tary fights of the time, as the republicans
will feel justified iu resorting to any
honest method to defeat it.
The republican Senators have IN caucus
agreed to disagree on the silver question,
and TO leave every Senator to vote as he
may feel disposed.
The mania pervading the North and