The Progress., 1894-02-24
OUR v ASHlNGTON LETTER

WASHINGTON. D. G.. February .. 1894
Special Correspondence TO The Progress:

mas Tor several days tied the House
haLS and foot, while all the time there
have been many more than :, quorum
Of members sitting in their seats, but
only those voting who favored the
pending legislation, Representative
hla2d,S bill Tor the coinage of the
Selgniorage in the Treasurg This
may be statesm&nship, but. regardless
OF the merits or the dement's of the
bill under discussion, il strikes most
unprecedented people as childs play.
1t is not pretended that the fiji
clustering is indulging in with the
hope Of defeating the bill, as it is gen
orally admitted that the bill will pass
by substantial majOrity a. soon as its
friends can get a quorum Of their own
Oh the floor. Here theu are several
days absolutely wasted for no other
reason than just to delay the passage
OF d Dill certain in she end TO pass
Meanwhile the statement is made BY
those IN authority that unless Congress-
provides money ia some other way Sec
rotary Carlisle will announce another
I issue Of bonds before the frsf Of July,
The number of people who question
the wisdom of Mr.. Reed 5 method. when
ne was speaker of counting those pres
ent and not voting, in order to make q
quorum. grows fewer week nv week
1t is every mans privilege to favor or
oppose any measure, but no man should
have Toe right to prevent the House
doing business by refusing to vote
when in his seat. congressman are
elected to legislate. not tQblock leois-
Iatlon. The rule Of the majority is,the
theory upon which this government
was founded, but in tho CHousc the
majority no longer rules, except When
large enough to constitute its own
quorum.
There was hitch in the tariff pro-
gramme in the Senate last week. The |
Dill was not reported to the Finance
committee, although it was stated on
Monday that it would be. It is aeain
stated today that the bill will certainly
be reported to the committee this
week. The reports of changes are SO
contradictory thatz,t would be Il waste
u space to mention them.
Senator Pugh Of Ala, has taken
llgh rank as a prophet in Senatorial
'lrcles since the rejection of the nomi
lation of Mr.. Peckham for that supreme
curt vacancy. Several days before the
Ote was taken Senator pugh stated
hat the nomination would certainly be
eJected and the majority against Peck
AN would be from seven to nine,
When the vote was taken il was 81
1r and IL against Cintil'matiOn. The
ote Tor confirmation was %
Srepublicans and one pop-
list, Kyle: while that against confirm
ton was Is democrats, "A republicans
nd , populists. The administration
lade extraordinary efforts to secure
IT., Peckhams confirmation and its
emoors are correspondingly disap- r
omitted. a factor in the defeat of Mr.
eckham was the. presence in Wash.
lgton OF the attorneys for number or
'g railroad corporations which have
hts pending before the supreme
'urt, and their open efforts to secure ~ ~
is confirmation.
Some very shrewd tactics are being
ed to work up sentiment in Congress r.
favor of abrogating all existing u
eaties with what are known as the
re civilized tribes of Indians and the
mission of Indian Territory as a sep
ate State or as part Of Oklahoma. =
re facI that there are more white
ople than Indians in the Territory is
ade the most Of, but n8thing is said e -
e fact that these whites went there
their own free Will Knowing that
Indian laws of the Territory would r
t allow them to become citizens. X
le Dawes Commission, appointed IL
President Cleveland to neytinte
tn these Indsans with II view to their m
their present tribunal re- |
ions, dividing their land in several
:, etc, is helping those who are
rklng the State idea, by telling the
tlans that whether they agree or
Congress is going to legislate them III
o citizens and their Territory into
state. No wonder an Indian. now in
Arlington. said when he,sheard that
dement,: ;Then why WAS the COM mn IN
'Slon appointed 1t is not Dego- Oh,
ton when one side is given no -
1iee as to what must be agreed to-" r
he report OF the Hawaiian inyesti- 4
,ipnmade by the Senate Foreign I
amittee has been prepared by Sen. J
r. Morgan aud read to gtbe commit Z
, but no action has beentaken upon &