Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1893-10-20
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
AN EFFORT MADE TO FORCE A
VOTE.
Will Probably Result In a COmprO-
mi>e-OffiCe Holding Families -
The Chinese Promise to Register.


mi>r-Office Holding families -
Democratic Method in The House
The Chinese Promise to Register.
WAsHiNGToN,. ID c, OCT. l., 1893.
Senator Voorhees, began his attempt
to force Il vote ON his bill for the
unconstitutional repeal OF the pur-
chasing clause oi the Sherman silver
law, On Wednesday. 10y compelling the
Senate To remain in continuous SEES
sion. 1t was clear from the beginning
that the margin over and above
a quorum, which the followers OF Mr..
VOORHEES, were compelled to keep on
the floor constantly, was entirely too
small, even il half of them were not
Republicans who had not pledged
themselves to any extra efforts, to
give him any reasonable hopes OF tir-
ing out the opponents OF the bill, who
could get all the rest they needed, as
they only kept two or three Senators
on the floor at time, one to speak
and the others to demand call OF the
Senate whenever the number present
fell below 4 quorum. That being the
situation it seems to your cor.espon-
dent that the only real reason for
holding this continuous session is to
convince those outside OF Congress who
have been so strenuously insisting
upon unconditional repeal OF the i'm.
possibility OF securing unconditional
repeal. and OF the necessity for COM
promise. There was some talk early
In the week of adjourning Congress il
the continued session of the Senate
failed to reach vote, but the idea was
not popular with the Senators, and i!
looks now as though some disposition
will certainly be made of the silver
question before there is an adjourn.
ment, and that it will be compromise
which can be accepted without any
sacrifice of principle by all the Demo
cratic Senators, although Senator
Voorhees, is very positive in saying
that he will take no part in a Gem
promise.
Everybody in Washington knows
that the number of what are usually
spoken of as office-holdiug families, >
the members of which were never
known to engage in any other EN-
ployment than working for the Gov
arnment, was considerable, but no one
dreamed its actual extent until Rep
resentative Dockery this week pre-.
sented to the House partial report o
the joint committee which is investi
eating departmental methods and
work. More than 1000 families have
two or more members in office, and
some as many as seven, eight and
nine. More than half of the IL ,599
United States employees in this city
are furnished by these 1909 families
and yet there is rule against the EN-.
ployment OF two members of the same
family. No one was more surprised
at the figures in this report than were
the heads of the departments, and i,
can be stated to certainty that they
will not wait for legislation to reduce
the number of one-family employees in
their respective departments. To pu,
it in popular language, these families
have had snap for a long time and
will now be made to step down and
out and give other people a chance.
The SO majority by which the
House passed the Tucker bill for the
repeal of the Federal election laws
promptly at the time designated fol
taking the vote when the bill was frs
taken up. was great disappointment,
to the Republicans who had been per
sistent in circulating false storie,
about the existence Of Democratic
dissatisfaction with the bill and the
difficulty there would be in gettinl
a Democratic quorum on the foo
when the time came to vote. Every
Democratic member of the House who
was in Washington voted for the bill
and none were absent, except from un
avoidable causes. The Democrats o
the House believe in doing business
and doing it promptly, and thei
records up to this time have been I'm
excelled.
Representative McCreary's bill pro
posing an extension of six month
in the time within which Chinese il
this country may register, and othe
notifications in the Geary Chinese ex
clusion act, is now being CONSIDERS
, by the House, where it has been givel
the right of way until disposed Of
This bill, which Representative Nc
Creary told the House was "In tn
interest of civilization and humanity,
is the result of a request of the Chin
ese government made of Secretar,
Gresham by the new Chinese Minister
who promised that all OF the China
men now in the United States shout
register If the time was extended.
; Senators and Representatives seen
very much in earnest about providin
for the erection Of new Government
Printing Office, and fresh efforts al
being made to determine upon tn
location of site therefor. 1t is ce
tainly to be hoped that the preser
efforts will succeed. A new buildin
is necessity.
!. There is not one word of truth
the sensational story sent out frol
here early this week saying that Sc
rotary Gresham had asked Postmastt
t General Bissell to reinstate dismisse
e Republican postoffice official, statione
in Ohio, and had been refused.
Dem.