The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-25
REPEAL IN TIE sTuArR.
Csl1n Outline Of the Situation at the
Present Time.

Present Time.
Washington, Sept 24.-The situation in
aAe senate as day after day passes fails
10 show any encouragement for those who
are making the battle for unconditional
repeal 1t is only dispassionate state
mout Of the truth to say that the repeal
forces are apparently no nearer victory
than they were ten days ago; that it does
not appear that they have made a con
vert in the United States Senate for
fourteen days, and that the prospect for
unconditional repeal is not so bright as 1t
was when the repeal bill passed the
House with the unexpectedly large ma
ioritv amonth ago. That startling re-
suit and the phenomenal majority gave
the cause OF repeal an impetus
which seemed likely to provoke
a public sentiment that would rush the
measure through the Senate Immediately,
by deterring those senators who had
been preparing to invoke the wiles of the
parliamentary filibusterer.
REPEALERs HAVE LOST COURAGE.
But since the bill passed the House,
and there has been no concerted attempt
to force the issue in the Senate, and since
every advance movementof Senator Voor-
hees and every demand of the chairman
u
niteiy on which the vote should be
taken, has been successfully met
by the vigorous opposition of the
silver senator's with the plain intimation
that every resource afforded by the rules
would be invoked by the opposition, the
repeal senators have apparently lost
much of their confidence and the anti-re-
peal senator's have regained all that
courage which they temporarily lost after
the passing of the measure by the House.
ANTI-REPEALERs NOW PLUCKED UP,
And thus it is that the roll-calls of the
Senate show that the anti-repeal senator's
present an unbroken front of nineteen
senators against unconditional repeal.
For week after the passage of the re-
peal bill by the House there was
scarce a senator to be found who had
the courage to publicly announce that the
opponents of repeal would resort TO inter
minable flbustering to defeat the bill.
Within the past week a half dozen sena-
tors have openly proclaimed that every
bulwark afforded by the rules and usages
of the Senate would be raised by the OPP
position to prevent passing the uncOndi-
tional repeal bill; and to-day those in
the confidence of Chairman Voor-
of the repeal forces practically concede
that the unconditional repeal bill can
only pass when the strength of the mi
nority is exhausted in sleepless vigils or
making dilatory motions, demanding roll
calls and resorting to their obstructive
tactics 20 prevent vote on the dominant
issue.
A MONTH OR MORE MAY ELAPsE.
Two weeks ago it was mysteriously ru-
mored that the repeal forces might de-
mand a vote at any hour and rush the
measure through the Senate amid the
plaUdits of the great American public
now no advocate of repeal can be found
who will predict with any confidence that
a final vote will be reached before the
middle of October.
And yet the numerical strength of the
repealers is as strong in the Senate to-day
as it was three weeks ago; they have an
undOubted possibility about
three-hfths-and there can be no queS-
ton as to the result when the final
vote is reported. But when that vote is
to come is the great mystery of the fu-
ture. Under the present rule of the Sen
ate half dozen senators can indefinitely
prolong the fight and eternally postpone
the vote, and if they are so inclined, may
either defeat the measure or force a com
promise.
INDUSTRIOUS FoGYIsM.
" III bnlS nSnG inc minority IS not an IN
significant one. The opponents of repeal
can unquestionably muster thirty or
more votes. OF these men it is believed
that eighteen or nineteen will not hest
tate to flibuster in an attempt to defend
tina citadel against any indefinite siege of
the majority.
The time has passed when any repeal
senator, however indomitable his cour-
age, dares to publicly express the hope
that any rule can be adopted which will
brush away the century's traditions of
the Senate by enforcing closure on the
pending question,
ANOTHER COMPROMISE IN THE AIR.
The financial fight in the United States
Senate will not be solved by rule of clo-
sure. The majority is at the mercy of the
minority, and the burning question of the
hour is, 'Will the minority filibuster to
prevent the passage of the bill and secure
a compromised"
The indications are that the minority,
or minority of the minority-and a half
dozen men are sufiicient--are prepared. if
necessary, to filibuster against uncondi-
tional repeal, and it is these indications
that have given rise once more to the dis
cussion of compromise that one begins
to hear on every side.