The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-07-31

tee that he decided to call congress together
In August. / talked with the senator at
the Press club the other day on the coming
congress and got his permission to publish
his words. Congress, " said he, will meet
in August, and I think it will again be Au-
gust before it adjourns. We have much to
do. The Sherman law will be repealed, be
lieve, but it cannot be done in u day, and
there is no telling how long the opponents
of repeal will delay a vote. 1t is in their
power to make it a matter of some time"
you have been put down as a free coin
age man, senator" said l.
II have not" was the reply, "abated a
jot of my silver proclivities, but there is
no reason why that should stop me or any
other silver Democrat from voting to re
peal the Sherman law at once. I have
never believed in it, voted against it, and
so did all the other Democrats, and it's
workings have given US all the more rea-
son to now vote for repeal. We told Jones,
Stewart and the other silver men at the
time that it would hurt silver and would
lead to a reaction against it. The danger
now is that we may go too far and that
financial legislation may swing the other
way. We must restore public confidence
and then afterward go to work to provide
AAhDSS DtkS tAitko - thI LlIll,
The party is committed to a revision of the
tariff, and the people expect it to give
them relief from theirpresent burdensome
taxes. How long it will take to get the
tariff all out Of the way no man can tell,
but this and other things that will come
up make me look for u continuous session
OF congress to last u year or longer"
Having obtained this authoritative state
ment from the senate leader, I sought the
house view of affairs. The closest man to
the speaker and his representative in many
missions is General Catchings of Mlssis-
sippi, a practical man of affairs. Under
the shade of a tree in front of his home in
the fashionable Dupont circle section of the
west end he gave me his views.
No one can do more than conjecture how
long or how continuously is likely
to be in session until members get here and
there is an opportunity to learn their tenn
per. Personally | don't think it will take
long to repeal the Sherman law. We can
get through with it in the house without
unusual debate, and l believe they can in
the senate also. OF course it must be dis
cussed for some time, but unless the silver
men make an ugly Highland by ugly |
mean resort to all sorts of obstructive
tactics-it ought not to be long before the
country knows where We stand on the She,.
man law.
Under our rules we can get a vote in
the house, and though there is nothing to
stop senator's talking forever l do not be-
lieve filibusterin9 can be long carried on.
Ihaye never yet seen prolonged filibustering
that did not have IA great public sentiment
behind it, such as there was behind the
force bill. And ] take it the whole coun-
try almost will be against filibustering over
silver. l don't mean, mind you, to saythat
everybody is for the repeal of the Sherman
law, but that the business interests of the
country are in such a condition that,
whether for or against silver, the people
will demand hat thu Sherman law be
voted up or down, so we will know where
we stand. A long agony of suspense won't
be tolerated.
TITS too early to say whether or not there
will be an unconditional repeal, but my
judgment is we should repeal the law and
then wait awhile. In the state of the pub
Sc mind congress could not tax Il compre-
hensive view of the finances. It's q bad
thing to tinker with the currency. We
have been doing nothing but tinkering for
some time and ought to stop