The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1894-12-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
[From Our Regular Correspondent


WASHINGTON. d. c.. December IL, 1894
Secretary Carlisle has every reason to feel
proud of the result of the hearings granted
by the House Committee on Banking and
Currency, this week, on his plan for currency
reform. His plan has not suffered by COM
parison with the plans and opinions of the
prominent fnanciers who have appeared be-
fore the committee. On the contrary, it has
been most decidedly strengthened, and it is
now the general belief that the committee
will shortly report to the House bill, which
if not precisely the same as that submitted
to the committee by Secretary Carlisle, will
certainly be along the same or similar lines.
1t is hoped that the committee can report the
currency bill before the Holiday recess, in
order that the people may have an oppor-
tunity to study it and express their views
| before the House takes it up for final action.
Many statements have been made as to how
| democrats will vote on this bill, but the most
| of them are guesses. OF course it is proba-
| BILE that the democrats of the House will
with a very few exceptions, support the
| bill that will be reported by the Banking and
| Currency, but that they should wait until the
bill is reported before committing them
selves is perfectly natural. Your cores
| pondent knows that the democratic Senators
are much more favorably inclined toward
| the plan proposed by Secretary Carlisle than
| they have been reported to be, and they are
| anxiously awaiting the action of the House,
| although the refusal of the Senate to change
its rules, which was emphasized by the defeat
| by vote of "a to "a, OF Senator Vests motion
/ to take up his resolutions providing for clo-
ture under certain conditions, has material
| ly lessened the chances for getting a curreny
| bill, or any other bill that is opposed by the
republicans through the Senate.
The vote on the bill amending the Inter
/ state Commerce law SO as to make freight
pooling by railroads legal, which was this
| week passed by the House by vote of 16t
to 10, was not governed by party politics
In the vote for the bill the names of such
prominent democrats are found as Black. OF
| Illinois, (who, by the way, was this week
unanimously confirmed U. S. Atty Northern
| District of Illinois, position to which he
was nominated by the President without his
knowledgel; Catchings, of Mississippi Cul
bertson, of Texas Hatch, of Missouri Outh
| waite, of Ohio; Richardson, of, Tennessee
Springer, of Illinois, and Wilson, of West
| Virginia; while in the votes cast against il
may be found the names OF equally promi.
nent democrats. For instance. Bryan, OF
Nebraska ; the two Coopers, of Florida and
Indiana, respectively; Dockery, of Missouri
Heard, of Missouri; Holman, of Indiana
McCreary, of Kentucky McMillin, of Tenn
Georgia. The division of the republicans
was not quite as marked, as big majority OF
them supported the bill. There is little
doubt that the bill will be passed by the Sen
ate, if it can be brought to a vote, but it is
| far from certain that it can be. II will all
| depend upon how determined the opposl-
/ ton is,
Three democratic Senators-Blanchard,o of
Louisiana; Martin, of Kansas, and Roach, OF
North Dakota-and all the pOpulist Senators
voted with the republicans to defeat Senator
Gray's motion to take up the bill reported
| from the Finance committee at the last ses-
sion, as a substitute for the House free sugar
| bill, which was lost by a vote of q TO %.
| Among the democrats who did not vote were
Brice, German, Irby, Morgan, Murphy, Glib
son, Turpie and Smith. 1t is not thought
| that any further tariff legislation will be at
/ tempted at this session.
| The President. Mrs. Cleveland and the
| children are now back at home in the White
| House. The President has entirely recovered
| from his long and troublesome attack of
rheumatism and is now apparently in per-
feet health. He is reported to have said in
reply to a question that the administration
had done its duty in pointing out to Congress
| what it believed ought to be done, and that
it now remained for Congress to do them or
not do them, leaving the final judgment to
| the people.
The republicans are opposed to the bill
makiug all ships free, but they are willing
to support bill allowing a single foreign
built ship an American register as often as
parties having sufficient "pull ask for it.
| This week the Senate passed one of that ma
ture. The democratic idea is to extend the
privilege of receiving an American register
to all vessel owners who desire 1t, instead of
by special legislation to a favored few.
| The opponents of the income tax were only
able to muster 54 votes in the House when
they attempted to defeat the preliminary
for the collection of the tax, which is in the
| emergency aDDrOprlatiOQ bill,