The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-10-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Continuous Session of the Senate Issue
Of more Bonds-Trial for Criminal
Negligence-Rel for the Cy-
clone Sufferers.
(From our Regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, Oct. o, ISo,


purchasing clause of the Sherman sill
yer law, and since then every Senator
who is absent, and not pared upon
this bill has been notified to be on
hand Wednesday. Numerous attempts
have been made in the past in the
Senate to force vote upon measures
by holding continuous sessions, but
there have been more failures than
successes, and the peculiar circum.
stances surrounding the present at.
tempt make it almost certain to be a
failure. No party machinery can be
used in this contest. because there are
no party lines observed by the friends
and opponents Of the repeal bill. The
question which is exciting the most
interest here is, what will follow the
failure to reach vote on the Voor.
hees bill2 One of two things must
be done. If the bill cannot be passed
it must either be indefinitely aban.
doned, leaving the present law in
force, or a compromise amendment
that can be passed be adopted. Which
will it be No man can at this time
answer that question with absolute
certainty, but being generally admitted
that the present law is bad one the
probabilities seem to favor a COM
promise, although a number of promi-
nent democrats, among them Presi-
dent Cleveland, believe that it would
be better to abandon the bill for
time than to adopt make.shift COM
promise.
Whatever is the result, so far as the
Voorhees, bill is concerned, the opinion
seems to be increasing daily among
conservative men, regardless of party
affiliation, that Congress must pass a
bill authorizing the administration to
issue bonds to increase the gold re.
serve fund whenever it may become
necessary in order to avoid panics,
similar to the one the country passed
through, which may at any time be
brought on by large and continuous
expectations of gold. Men who six
months ago opposed an issue of bonds
under any circumstances are now ad.
vocating that the authority for issuing
bonds be given to the administration.
1t would not necessarily follow that
bonds would be ISSUED. The knowl-
edge that they could be issued if nee.
essary to replenish the government
supply of gold would, in the opinion
Of shrewd fnanciers, of itself act large
ly as preventative of the expectation
of gold.
When the house adopted the order
closing debate on the bill for the re.
peal of the Federal election laws, to
day October oth,) and directing that
the voting on the bill and the amend
ments proposed thereto should begin
to morrow and continue until the bill
was disposed Of, it was thought that
the Senate would have before this dis,
posed Of the Voorhees, repeal bill and
have been ready to receive the cleo
ton repeal bill. The democrats OF
the House will hold a caucus on the
subject tonight, and inasmuch as it
might add additional complications to
the already sufficiently complicated
situation in the Senate to send this bill
over at this time the caucus may de-
eide that it is advisable to defer final
action on the election bill for a time.
The Ford's Theatre disaster has
been recalled to public notice during
the past week by the opening of the
trial of the four men indicted for Grim
inal negligence in connection there
with by Senate resolution for the
appointment of joint Congressional
committee TO ascertain the response
bili:y Of the government for damages
to the families of the victims, and by
beginning of repairs upon the wrecked
building. A rumor that the men who
occupied the building at the time of
the disaster are to be again put in
there to work as soon as the repairs
are completed has raised a general
protest, not only from the FIVE hun
dred clerks and their friends, but from
the public at large. 1t would certainly
seem to be an unnecessary cruelty to
compel those clerks to work in that
building again.
1t is extremely doubtful whether the
JOINT resolution offered by Represen-
tative Davey, of La, for the appropri-
alton of s25, 900 for the relief of the
cyclone sufferers on the southern
coast gets through Congress. Not be-
cause individual Senators and Repre-
sentatives are opposed to helping the
sufferers, but because all such appro
prlatIons by the general government
have been opposed on principle for
many years, on the theory that the
several states should furnish needed
relief to their own citizens. However,
this being an exceptional case the
House committee on Appropriations,
to which the resolution was referred,
may ignore precedent and favorably
raDOrt ~ Cho,lJ - la f,uzalI -