San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-12-20
WASHINGTON LEI TIER,
by our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. Dec. II, '94.

are, by their attitude on the cur
cency question, giving the coun,
try another instructive object-les'
son, showing the Democratic idea
Of craftsmanship. Notwithstand-
ing that those financiers of reputa
ton who were heard, either in per.
son or by letter, by the House
Banking and Currency Committee,
were unit in condemning, either
the whole or a part Of Secretary
Carlisle's misnamed plan of cur
rency reform, the bill drawn up by
Secretary Carlisle is to be railroad
cd through the House this week,
unless Democratic plans miscarry.
1t may not be true, although
many are inclined to think that
it is, that the administration is
encouraging the withdrawal Of
gold from the treasury, in order to
brighten Directing Democrats into
the support of the currency bill,
which as a sop to the overwhelm-
ing vanity OF Representative
Springer, chairman of the commit
tee on Banking and Currency, has
been re-christened, the Springer"
but those who are unquestionably
authorized to speak for the admin
istration are presenting some ar
guments to secure votes for the
bill that are certainly question able.
The Democrat who expresses an
objection to the bill land nearly all
Of them do, is told that the bill has
not the slightest chance to become
a law, but that it is merely intend
ed 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 will throw the RESPONSE
bility for the failure of financial
legislation upon the already I'M
popular Senate.
1t is not necessary TO have an ex-
ira good memory to recall that
similar arguments were used to
rush the Wilson tariff bill through
the House in a crude form. 1t is
well known that many of the
Senate amendments to the tariff
bill were begged for by Democratic
mem bers of the House who lacked
the courage to either propose them
or to vote for them in an open,
manly way, but were willing to
beg for them secretly, and then to
pose as having been compelled,
againt their wills, to accept the
Senate bill, amendments and all.
That is the sort Of business which
disguised the people and brought
about the Democratic defeat of
last month. There has not been
a single important piece of leg1sla-
ton before Congress since it was
controlled by the Democrats, into
which this sort Of tactics was not
introduced to greater or lesser
extent. To put it plainly, il not
elegantly, the Democrats in Con-
gress have played, and in spite of
their better experience,are continu-
ing to play the people for fools.
Even the lettering, God-forsaken
government of Turkey, which eX-
lists merely by the sufferance Of the
great powers of Europe, does not
hesitate to snub this administra-
ton. 1t has refused to allow the
United States Consul designated
for that duty by Secretary Ores
ham to accompany the commits
sion, composed OF representatives
of Russia and Great Britain,
which will investigate the mas
sacre Of Christian Armenians by
Turkish troops, If Secretary Ores
ham had not blundered 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 blund-
ers, and this last one will certain
ly be heard from.
The Senate will do nothing in
the way Of political legislation at
this session, although there is still
much talk about a 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 a
speculative, not leg 'slative OBJ.
ject.
General Sickles, of New Work,
is one OF the few Democrats in the
House who has a brilliant Union
Army record, and almost the only
| Democrat who has had tho cour
age to openly antagoniZe the pen
sion policy Of this administration
His latest remarks, made just
previous to the passing of the pen
sion appropriation bill by the
House, are alike creditable to him