The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-08-31
49, : 49,.
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
81 u -eamde,n
WAsn1NGToN. Aug. 30, 's3

Dill Tor the unconditional repeal OF
the purchasing clause of the silver
law, as it has been PLAN for a week
that it would do. The Wilson bill
now goes to the Senate where it
will be referred to the Finance COM
mittee, never to be heard from
again. The reason why this bill
will be shelved by the Senate COM
mittee is that the maj ority of Sen
ators who favor unconditional
repeal prefer the Voorhees, bill for
the same purpose, with its tall-piece
declaring it to be the policy of the
Government to maintain a bimetal.
lie currency. AS matter of fact
this declaration carries no weight
without additional legislation, but
it implies that there will be future
Legislation and that implication is
relied upon to gain the votes Of
Senators who would otherwise not
vote for unconditional repeal.
Whether this will prove to be true
only time can tell.
There are many rumors Of defec-
tons among che Southern free.
coinage Senators, and the claim is
boldly being made that a number
of them will, after making free
coinage speeches, vote for uncondi-
tional repeal Senators Call and
Pasco, of Florida, are said to haye
made positive promises to that
effect. SO confident are the ad-
ministration Senators that they can
get enough votes from the South to
pass the bill, if they can only get 1t
to Il vote, that II proposition has
been made to Republican Senators
to try to get them to use their lnflu-
ence with the Republican Senators
who favor free coinage, not to vote
for unconditional repeal, but merely
to agree to allow a vote to be taken.
1t was stated to them that if they
would secure that agreement the
Democratic Senators would agree
that the tariff should not be dis
turbed at this session of Congress.
The proposition was declined. In
making that proposition the admin
istration men showed they realized
the difficulty in getting the bill
through the Senate, even if they
can get the promise of the votes of
a majority of the Senators. Under
the present rules OF the Senate,
which will pot be changed, twenty
Senators can, if so disposed, stave
off indefinitely taking of a vote on
the bill, and that more than that
number are at present so disposed
there can be no doubt. The out
come of this matter depends upon
whether the men who now stand for
free coinage or nothing can be per-
suaded or coerced into allowing q
vote to be taken. Mr.. Cleyeland
will return to Washington this week
for the purpose of adding his per-
sonal influence to those already
being brought to bear on the South
ern Senators to vote for repeal.
Here is one good piece of news,
that ought to please every man
interested in the welfare of his
country. There will be no wild
cat money authorized at this session
of Congress. the House committee
on Banking and Currency having q
majority against the bill for the
repeal of the tax on State bank
currency. Whether knowingly or
not does not matter, but Speaker
Crisp certainly did the country
great service when he made up that
committee by selecting a majority
opposed to wildcat money.
One of the best, as we'll as one of
the most conservative of the speeches
made in the House during the silver
debate was that delivered by ex-
Speaker Reed on Saturday. He
was at his best and was as warmly
SOhS dOuidtCu dU Vic ClOSC Ol HIS
speech by Democrats as by Repub-
licans.
The new rules of the House are
much better than those used by the
last House, but are not as good as
the much abused Reed rules, which
they follow to a certain extent.
The number Of Democratic Con-
gressmen who do not agree with the
administration IN Its treatment of
pensioners is increasing, or, per-
haps it would be more correct to say
that the number of those who have
the courage to express their opinion
is growing larger. The latest case
is that of General Dan Sickles, who
represents one of the New York
city districts, the nomination hav-
ing been given him by Tammany to
prevent his boiling the Cleveland
ticket. In speech on the silver
question Gen. Slckles, advocated as
one of the methods of temporarily
relieving the money stringency that
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