New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-08
THE SITTER SITUATION.

Senator Hill has made his promised effort
for the repeal of the Silvef-Purchasc ac'' p".
has not succ eeded in the Senate. III REQUIRE"
some courage for a comparatively ne" Ihc''ooi
of that emincntly conservative BODY u 'aNe
the responsibilities of leadership. and II was
hardly to be expected that all the 1rchds Oh
Mr. Cleveland would follow MIR. lilll. ohiS
eleven Republican Senators voted for his mo-
ton while the same number Of Senator's who
have been at all times opposed to free coinage
refused to waste the time OF the eenaie i'll !,
discussion which, as they were p"rfec'N wen
aware. must prove utterly frtless unless the
Democratic majority in the House was pre-
pared to bring the bill to a final vote. seven
Republicans were paired in favor ana SIN
AGAINST the motion, while three Republlcans
and ono Democrat were absent without pair.
Mr. Hills molten secured the support OF three
Democrats who are ee-colnage men, mus
the votes and the pairs showed fourteen Dem
socrats for and twenty-three against senator
Hills notion and eighteen Republicans fof ana
twenty.sx against it, but as Washington
dispatchcs show at least eleven OF the Re-
publicans who voted against the motion were
opronents of free silver.
This vote makes it evident that majority
for the repeal of the Siver-Pmchasc act might
have been obtained in the Senate if that body
had been asked TO pass bill which had al
ready been passed by the House, even though
the effort to do so might then have involved
long and weary test of endurance. But soch
struggle, with every probability that the
Housc would not act Oh the subject at all. most
of the Republican members were not inclined
to begin. 1t appeared to them that the Dem
ocrats in the House ought to take the respon-
sibilty of sustaining or defeating the policy
which their President-elect urged upon them.
The truth is that if the Democratic members
in either body had been sincere or much in
earnest about this repeal they would not have
left the matter until more than two-thlrdS OF
the short session had elapsed, 30 that the re-
naming time might without great diilcuiy
be exhausted by the speeches of few silver
Senators. 1t goes without saying that lew VIII
find it easy to credit the Democrats IN Con-
gress with much sincerity or earncStncss IN
this matter Many will suspect that they were
only too willing to have the motion beaten in
the Senate, so that the opponents OF repeal IN
the House would have more excuse Tor their
resistance They will now claim, a, some oi
the Democratic journals already do, that the
repeal bill could not pass the senate even II
il should be passed by the House. and when
mo, are hunting for excuses a poor one often
sutfice'.
As TO the prospect in the House. the fact has
been brought out by recent discussion that the
power nttustcd TO the Committee of Rules was
with an express pledge that no rule to stop
debate or diatory motions should be brought
in unless requested by majority OF the Dem
ccratic members. This power of minority OF
the House TO dictate what shall be done, that
minority being merely more than onc-hali oil
the majority in that body, has been deliberate
" made part of the organization by the D'mG-
Gratis. and it was expressly intended to give that
patty absolute control Of legislation Mess
more than half the Democratic members can
be brought to sign a request for closure reso-
luton. There is ~ prospect that anything can
be done in the House and as Mr.. ClcNclands
influence sways only fourteen ont OF thirty
eight Democrats in the Senate il may not
mprobaby fail to sway a majority of the Dem
ocratc Representatives.
True, the question rises above patty. a. Mr..
Cleveland says. But most Of his political asso-
ClatcS IN Congress 40 not Use dpoNc patty.
large majority Of them persist in fishing Tor the
favor of Popusts and more-money fanatics
in their States and districts, regardless Of the
consequences to the country. For good many
years it has been expected that the Rcpub
icans should do all the rising above party
leaving the Democrats tn scheme and trick for
partisan advantage on every question. But
now the responsibility for the Cove nment has
gone into Democratic hands and how much
Democrats rise above party the voting in Con
gress will show