The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-09-02
WASHINGTON LETTER
'h:3m III regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. Aug. 25:h. 1898.

clai speeches were maze by dtiiIncfa-
ic Senators, one by Senator Noillees.
on Tuesday, and the other by Senator
Hill, to -day. Both of these Senators
are friends of silver and beth of them
favor the repeal of the purchasing
clause of the Sherman silver law as
the best method of preparing the way
for other legislation dealing with sill
yer as money.
There was IA sharp debate in tie
Senate this week, for a few minutes,
over the question of whether a resell
ution offered by Senator PETER. en-
qt%iring of tt e Secretary of the Treas
uty as to the action of national banks
i'll large cities in refusing to cash,
upon presentation, checks of depoSi-
tors, should be disposed of at once or
be referred to the Finance Committee.
Trouble was avoided bv il demand for
the regular order" which sent the
resolution to the foot of the calendar,
Where it will have to await its turn,
unless sooner taken up by ii vote of
the Senate. 1t is perfectly well known
in Congress that the national banks
of New York and other cities have
been refusing to cash checks for their
depositors, for one member Of the
H0use-JOhnsOn, OF Ohio-was refns-
ed the cash for ii check for 5000 at a
New York bank IN which his balance
was more than 500, 900 although it
was given HIM after an interview with
the president. Hints nave also been
received here that certain New York
national banks have been profiting
largely by the sale of currency at il
premium, which has been going on in
that city. 1t will not be surprising if
there is some very plain talk in Con
gress about the national banking sys
TEN as at present conducted before
long. Senator Voorhees, devoted a
part of his speech to it, and there will
be others heard from as soon as finan-
ces get IA little steadier.
Without disparaeement to the dem
ocsats who held important committee
chairT anships in the last House. it
can be said that Speaker Crisp has in
the new chairmen selected men who
are generally credited with being pc
culiarly we'll fitted to perform the du-
ties with which they have been in
t:nsted. Hon. w. l.. Wilson. of Wess
Virginia, the new chairman of the
Ways and Means committee, has been
a student and advocate of tariff re-
form not only since he has been a
member of the House but also long
before he entered public life. He is
thoroughly master of the subject, and
the tariff bill, upon which his commit
tee will at once get to work, promises
to be IA model of its kind. Hon. JOS
epii $. Savers. Of Texas, the chairman
of the committee OF Appropriations,
las beer a prominent member of that
committee for years, and no higher
praise can be given his abilities than
to say that he has long been spoken
of as the Sam Randall of that commit
tee, i'll his methods of work and in
Simultaneous grasping of The salient
points of all subjects that come before
the committee. Mr.. Springer, of ILL.,
noi~. who was chairman of the Ways
and Means committee in the last
House, is now at the head of the com
mittee III Banking and Currency,
which will play no small part III the
Legislation of the present House. and
Mr.. Holman, who was chairman of the
Appropriations committee. is now at
the bead of the committee cn Indian
Affairs, where his work will be much
lighter. a consideration that his age
made important. The number of dis.
appointments is much smaller than
usual.
BY joint resolution OF Congress tn,
provisions of the law providing fol
town site entries of land in Oklaioms
have been extended to the Cherokee,
outlet, which is to be opened to settle.
ment at noon on September 16.
Commissioner Lochren has no ub
lection to the carrying ont of the lat
est republican threat of applying t.
the courts for an injunction to pre-
vent his ~suspending pensioners whose
right to be on The rolls he believes t,
be questionable.
There has been some talk this weel
about the probability of the extra ses
sion coming to a close before the frs
of October, but the most experienced
legislators will not express an opinion
as to the length of the session unit
something more definite is know
about the probable length o. time til
Senate will take to dispose of the Vor
hees bill for the repeal of the purchas
ing clause of the Sherman law. TIL
House will not necessarily be idle af
ter it disposes of the repeal bill, a
Representative Johnson's bill provid
ding for an exchange of Z. 5. bond
for currency, at the option of til
holder of the bonds, the interest o
which will cease SO long as the cul
rency is retained. will probably be re