New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-18
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBryE.I

tBY TELEGRAPH TO TIE rRIBryEl
Washington, Oct. 17-Mr Voorhees, and ths
other responsible managers of the responsible
majority in the Senate were brought to book
very sharply to-day for their blundering and
incapable leadership. which. after seventy odd
days Of futile and spiritless effort to reach
conclusion on the Repeal bill. has justly ex-
hausted the patience and liberation OF the en-
tire country Acting on the part of the Re-
publican Senator'S who for ten weeks have
yielded constant and unquestoning support
to the repeal programme. Mr.. Sherman frankly
and emphatically gave notice this afternoon
that the blind and indecisive sort Of contest
proposed to be carried on by Mr.. Voorhees,
could no longer be endured by the Republican
friends of repeal by the public What the
public wanted was action, and the Republican
friends Of repeal, who had stood by Mr.. Voor'
hees's policy Of indecsion and drifting, would
stand by it no longer.
The Democratic leaders. Mr. Sherman de-
clared amid breathless silence. were now In
position where they must accept the RESPONSE
bility OF meeting the long delayed cry OF the
country for relief They had been put in power
by the verdict of the people at the last election
They, and not the minority, were in charge OF
all legislation and would be held to account
strictly for what the Senate accomplished or
failed to accomplish. Under the conditions now
confronting the Senate after more than ten
weeks Of delay and inaction the obligation to
meet the demand Of the country for action was
the more unavoidable and transcendent. The
party could not plead the baby act" 1t must
meet the actual situation. If 1t tould not agree
to support Mr. Cleveland's plan for settling the
silver question. it must bring forward plan
OF its own. If it could not formulate plan. let
- a,I oIi in,tr
the session amid the jeers OF the American peo-
pie. No Republican majority in the Senate had
ever shirked the obligations of party power, or
depended for the votes to pass the legislation
1t would be responsible for the complacency
of the opposition The country should therefore
be kept waiting no longer and the majority
should produce its programme or give up the
task to the Republican side. which had never
shrunk from the responsibility Of settling within
party lines any great question Of party policy.
Mr.. Shermans ringing arraignment of the
Democratic leaders was made under circum-
stances which emphasized to the utmost its
timeliness and its necessity. For four hours or
more the Senate had been occupied in debating
the technical accuracy of a statement In the
journal Of yesterdays proceedings. The Re-
peal bill had been side-tracked completely. and
the discussion on the approval of the journal
threatened to run till midnight without inter-
ruption Various amendments to the rules
were being banded about each exciting the
criticism and hostility of half the parliamentary
experts in the chamber. The futiity OF an at
tempt to alter the rules in the midst of the
struggle for repeal was made momentarily
more evident by the contradictory and dis
cordant opinions advanced on every proposition
of amendment.
The improbabty of any immediate
reform of the code remedy for
obstruction was the text taken by Mr.. Sher-
man for few remarks. which he said he
wished to make on the present state of the
public business After expressing his opinion.
as the oldest member of the Senate, and its
presiding officer for a term of years. that the
rules were now clearly inadequate for the
proper control of business i'm the Senate. he
deprecated any effort to change them now in
the heat of a bitter contest and sug-
gested that they should be fully and
carefully revised by the Committee on
Rules at the opening Of the regular
session. The situation could not be met. he
added. by any change of the rules now. 1t
could be met and should be met, however. as
all similar situations had formerly been met, by
sponsible majority-an action which. when
agreed on, would not be resisted or iilibustered
against by any faction in the Senate. The
reason for the failure of the Senate to act was
not so much in the rules themselves as 1t was in
the inability, the incapacity OF the majority TO
produce programme Of legislation Turning
to the Democratic side. and rising to his full
height. Mr.. Sherman exclaimed with unwonted
fire and gesture:
THE majority must act. If, gentlemen YOU
cannot support the Presidents plan. you must
bring in plan of your own. The responsibility
agree on something The country is clamoring
for action. II We cannot have repeal. for Gods
sake give us something else or confess your
incapacity a party to govern
THE SPEECH BREATHLESSLY LISTENED TO.
The chamber had been kept fairly full all the
afternoon by the running debate on the rules.
and probably fifty-fve sixty Senator's were
in their seats when the venerable Senator from
Ohio began his speech Senator Voorhees,
crossed over to the Republican side and sat
only few feet from his colleague Of the
Finance Committee whose vigorous and telling
onslaught on the luckless leadership OF the ma.
tority furrowed the Indiana Senator'S.
brow with patnful wrinkles. On the Demo-
cratic side Mr.. German listened impassively to
the scathing arraignment of Democratic de-
linquency. which, with notifications. he doubt
less had already administered privately to
many of his distinguished Administration as
sociates Mr.. Vest. Mr.. Morgan. Mr.. Pugh.
Mr.. Faulkner. Mr.. Harris and Mr.. Butler, who.
like Mr.. German. have been preaching the doc
trine Of Democratic party responsibility and adj
vocating a party caucus drank In with eager
ears the significant and truthful indictment
drawn by Mr. Sherman against the minority
leadership on the Democratic side which has
put compliance with the demands OF the AS-