San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-10-14
WASHINGTON LETTER
From Our Regular Correspondent. !
WAsHINGTON, Oct. 8, 1893.

senate. Inc JeSU Oh pnySlCdl Gil
durance which is to begin in the
Senate on Wednesday of this week
is intended to force a vote on the
repeal bill. At least that is the
impression that Senator Voorhees,
wishes the. public to get Of it. But
it's real purpose is to demonstrate
to Mr.. Cleveland the impOssibility
of forcing a vote and to get him to
listen the advice of his cabinet and
many of the Shrewdest Sena-
tors and Representatives in his
party and give his consent to
the adoption of compromise
amendment that will secure the
votes Of three-fourths of the Sena-
tors. In holding a continuous
session the unconditional repeal
Senators play their last trump
card, they will have to keep forty
one senators continuously on the
! floor, as the opponents of uncOn-
ditiOnal appeal have given notice
that they will only keep two
senators on the floor at a time,
one to speak and one to watch
the others, thus allowing the
rest of their force to rest.
The session which will begin
Wednes day at eleven a. m.
may possibly be kept up for as
long period as forty-eight hours,
but it will surprise no one here if
it fiZZles out before daylight, on
Thursday morning, for lack of a
quorum. The twenty-five Repub-
lican senators who are counted for
unconditional repeal have adopted
no program, but it is believed that
few of them will feel it mount bent
upon themselves to endanger their
health by remaining in their seats
all night, particularly when they
know that nothing can thereby be
accomplished.
Opinion differs as to what will
be done after it has been shown
that vote cannot be forced by a
continuous session of the Senate.
If Mr.. Cleveland's idea be followed
congress will at once adjourn, not
take recess, he having stated his
belief that it would be better for
congress to adjourn until the be-
ginning Of the regular session in
December than to take short re-
cess. But the general impression
is that compromise amendment
will be adopted before next Satur-
day night, thus giving Mr.. ClevG-
land an opportunity to carry out
| iS al fn
thing other than unconditional
repeal that might be sent to.
There is trouble in the House as
we'll as in the Senate. The bill for
the repeal of the Federal election
laws, instead of solidifying the
Democrats of the House as it was
expected to do, has made new
split up in their ranks. The Tuck
er bill, which is the one under con-
sideration, repeats every single
Federal statute dealing with cleo
tions, and a considerable number
of Democratic members of the
House think it too radical.
4 A caucus is to be held tonight to
decide the dispute. The caucus
will doubtless decide in favor of
the Tucker bill, but it is very
doubtful whether that bill can be
passed tomorrow, according to pro-
gram. The Republicans will not
vote to make quorum and the
House may find itself without one
for an indefinite period by reason
of the absense of Democrats OppOS-
ed to the bill.
Senator Pfeffer's latest bill is the
king pin of all that have gone be-
fore in the long line of absurd
propositions, and it is only fair to
Mr.. Pfcffer to say that he does not
father this mOnstrosity, but intro
duced it by request. The bill starts
by directing the coinage of all the
gold and silver now in the treas
ury. and the coinage of all Of either
| that shall be offered until the ag-
gregate of $4,000, 100000 is reached.
But that is merely a sort of pre-
amble, as it were; the gist of the
bill is that portion which provides
for universal prosperity, by apprO-
priating $6OO,OOO,OOO to be distribut-
ed pro rata according to popula
ton among the states and terri
tories, the same to be spent In the
improvement of public highways,
building school houses, etc, in
wages of 81, a day of eighthours TO
each person engaged in the work.
The bill also provides that all citi-
zens of the United States offering
their services shall be empOyed.
1t would be more sensible, and
more beneficial, if Congress would