The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-01-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


Greats of the House in a predicament where
they may well ask "where am l at?' The
first four days of Congress contained sue
cession of surprises for the average democrat,
in the continued failure to get a quorum of
democrat Is in the House to vote for the resou-
tons report ID from the committee on Rules
making the Wilson tariff bill special contin
ulng order until January %, when tinTl vote
Is to be taken thereon. That some democrats
were opposed to certain schedules in the bill
was, of course, known, but that any consider
able number of them would carry their oppo-
sition, to the extent of declining to attend the
sessions of the House in order to make up
voting quorum of democrats, in order to pre-
vent the bill being taken up, was certainly
not believed until the fact was ruade so plain
that it could no longer be doubted.
The names of 81 democratic members of the
House have been published opposing the
personal income tax and as none of them
have entered denial it is fair TO assume that
the list published was correct. This may &C
count for the seeming sudden increase Of the
democ. attic opposition to the tariff bill, but the
income tax is not yet a part of the thrift bill
and indeed NAV never be, as there is proba-
biity, amounting almost to a certainty, that
the Ways and Means committee will report it
to the House as separate and distinct bill to
stand or fall on its own merits, ms cad Of Of
fering it as an amendment to the tariff
bill.
The democratic caucus Will it did not
specifically endorse the tariff bill so indirectly
without division when it adopted Speaker
Crisp's resolution, that it was the duty of every
democratic member of the House to vote for
the resolution from the committee on Rules
providing for the consideration of the tariff bill;
also o attend the daily sessions in order that
pressing public business might be attended to-;
but the trouble, or at least a portion of it, a.
rises from the fact that only few more than
two-thirds of the democratic members of the
House attended the caucus and that those who
did not attend do not regard the resolution as
binding on them. If any democrats were be-
nefted by this cross pulling it would be more
excusable, but they ale only playing into the
hands of the republicans who are openly ex-
ulting over the present deplorabl, condition
of affairs.
Steps have been taken-orders issued for
the arres: of absentees-which it is believed
will result in bringing to Washington this
week, every democratic member of the House
who is well enough to come, and the party
leaders are confident that they can get and
keep quorum of democrats until the tariff
bill is passed. we shall see.
All Of the old Hawaiian straw has been
Refreshed since the news arrived via Auck
land that the ex-queen of Hawaii had agreed
to the conditions first submitted to her, that
Minister Willis had in accordance with his
original instructions requested the provisional
government to retire in her favor, and that the
provisional government had declined to do so.
President Cleveland has later dispatches which
came from HaW ali by the steamer Corwin, but
neither he nor Secretary Gresham has made
them public. Whether they confirm the Auck-
land dispatch is not positively known, but
from remarks of democratic Congressman who
have seen the President since he received them
it is inferred that they do. Either way 1t
would not change the situation at all, as Min
lister Willis had positive instructions not t. use
force to bring about the change, fact Of which
Minister Thurston, who is now in Hawaii, was
well aware before he left Washington and
which of itself made it almost certain that
there would be no change, uni sss tine provis-
ional government voluntarily retires.
Attorney General Olney had little fan the
ether day with delegation of republicans
from Kansas, hea ded by Represent alive Cur
tbs, which called on him in the interest of Col
onel Jones who wants to be Z. S. Marshal
While he did not say so in SO many words the
Attorney General left the impression Upon his
callers minds that republican influence is not
calcul ted to improve any democrats chance
for getting al appointment unoer the Depart
ment of Justice. The Kansans left in doubt
as to whether they had injured the prospects
not improved them.
Represent ltiy- Pendleton, of Texas, has in
troduced free coinage bill, making the aver
age price Of gold and silver for sixty days from
November l. 1894, the legal ratio between the
two metals, on and after Jan. l, 1895.
The bill for the repeal of the federal elect
ion laws will be taken up in the Senate IT,
morrow, and it is expected that it will be pass
ed within the next three weeks, the unde;
standing being that the republicans are not to
filibuster against it.