Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1894-12-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Dec. II, 1894.
The administration and the democrat
ic leaders of the House are, by their at
titude on the currency question, giving
the country another instructive object
lesson, showing the democratic idea of
craftsmanship. Notwithstanding that
those financiers of reputation who were
heard, either in person or by letter, by the
House Banking and Currency commit
tee, were unit in condemning, either
the whole or part of Secretary Carlisle's
misnamed plan of currency reform, the
bill drawn up by Secretary Carlisle is to
railroaded through the House this week,
unless the democratic plans miscarry.
1t may not be true. although many
are inclined to think that it is, that the
administration is encouraging the with
drawal of gold from the treasury, in or
der to brighten Directing democrats into
the support of the currency bill, which
as sop to the overwhelming vanity of
Representative Springer, chairman Of
the committee on Banking and Curren-
y,
er Bill" but those who are unquestion
ably authorized to speak for the admin
istration are presenting some arguments
to secure votes for the bill that are GER
tainly questionable. The democrat who
expresses an objection to the bill, and
nearly all of them do, is told that the
bill has not the slightest chance to be-
come law, but that it is merely in
tended to convince the country that the
administration and the majority of the
House are anxious to do something, and
that its passage by the House viii throw
the responsibility for the failure of finan-
cial legislation upon the already unpop-
nlar Senate.
1t is not necessary to have an extra
good memory to recall that similar argu-
ments were used to rush through the
Wilson tariff bill through the House in
q crude form. 1t is well known that
many of the Senate amendments to the
tariff bill were begged for by democratic
members of the House who lacked the
courage to either propose them or to vote
for them secretly, and then to pose as
having been compelled, against their
wills, to accept the Senate bill. amend
ments and all That is the sort of bust
ness which disguised the people and
brought about the democratic defeat of
last month There has not been a sin
gle important piece of legislation before
Congress since it was controlled by the
democrats, into which this sort of tao
tics was not introduced to greater or
lesser extent. To put it plainly, if not
elegantly, the democrats in Congress
have played, and in spite of their bitter
experience, are continuing to play the
people for fools.
Even the tottering, God-forsaken
country of Turkey, which exists merely
by the sufferance of the great powers of
Europe, does notl hesitate to snub this
administration. 1t has refused to allow
the U. S. consul designated for that
duty by Secretary Gresham to accompa-
nv the commission, composed OF repre-
sentatives of Russia and Great Britain,
which will investigate the massacre of
Christian Armenians by Turkish troops.
If Secretary Gresham had not blunder-
ed from the start he would not be in his
present humiliating position. He has
already been taken to task by Congress
for several of his blunders, and this last
one will certainly be heard from.
The Senate will do nothing in the way
of political legislation at its session, al
though there is still much talk cloture
rule, but not as much as there was when
the silver repeal bill was pending. Bluffs
will be made at the sugar schedule of
the tariff law from time to time, but they
will have speculative, not legislative
object.
General Sickles, of New York, is one
of the few democrats in the house who
has brilliant Union army record, and
almost the only democrat who has had
the courage to openly antagonlze the
pension policy of this administration
His latest remarks, made just previous
to the passing of the pension appropria-
ton bill by the House, are alike cred
fable to him and to every ex-Union sol