Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1894-03-08
Washington Letter

FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON. .. c., March 5, 1924
Senator Voorhees, ought to be good
authority on what the Senate Finance
committee will do with the Bland bill
for the coinage of sesgulcrage. which
VIA PASSED by the House last week. He
says that the COMMITTEES will not report
the bill to tie Senate until after the
tariff bill shall haye been disposed Of.
N that case one Of the principal objects
of the originators of the bill will be
defeated. That Is, to furnish the Treas
urv with money that will SO IN be needed
thus avoiding an excuse for another bond
issue. If the bill is not to be even re.
ported to the Senate until after the tar
if bill Is disposed Of, there is no telling
when 1t will set there, as the tariff bill
is not yet before the Senate, and no
Senator seems willing to say when it
will be.
There arc lots Of runors about the
intention of the silver Senators to at
tach free coinage amendment to the
seigniorage bill, but the closest INQUIRY
among those gentlemen has failed to
3,,n,.. o,r q, hct ~; al foundation Gov
any of them. BY the way, some OF
the anti-silver men in the House are
saying some very silly things about this
bill. For instance, that on full vote
of the House it would have been defeat.
ed, and that it only passed by a MAJ ority
of 80, because they did cot have time to
get the opposing votes here. They had
nearly three weeks, which should haye
been time enough for every Congressman
to have gotten here. The bill passed
before it was favored by a majority !;
that's all, and it would have passed had
every member Of the House voted.
Women are accused of beng more
clangeable than men, but il there IS a
woman in existence who can change
faster or oftener than the Senators who
are trying to fix up the tariff bill so that
it can command votes enough to pass
the Senate, she should be exhibited as
the greatest Lying curiosity. Six differ
ent times the bill has been printed and
each time it was supposed to have been
complete, bat it is not yet complete,
unless it has been completed within the
last three hours. The trouble seems to be
that when an item is changed to meet
the demand Of one Senator il Just as
like as not ofends another Senator and
,leopardizes his vote. SO 1t goes. Of
course some sort of tariff bill is going
to be passed, but he is either a daring
or foolish man who assumes at this
time to tell its exact nature.
The testimony Of Hon. JOSIAH Quincy,
ex-Asslstant Secretary of State, before
the Senate committee on Printing,
which is investigating the giving out
OF the contract for printing the Patent
Office Gazette, was Of sensational ma
ture, although Mr. Quincy did not seem
to think so, and there was much sur
prise at that portion Of it where he told
ofhaying endorsed note ofthe National
Economist Publishing Co., for $1,000.
That revived rumors rife during the last
Presidential campaign, of the National
Economist being controlled by the
democratic National committee, and ad-,
ded additional interest to the testimony.
Mr.. Quincy admitted that the present
contractors owed him considerable
money and that he had procured the
contract for them and aided them in
keeping it when fault was found with
the work, but denied that there was
anything underhanded or improper IN
what he did. Senator German seems
disposed TO act with Senator Henderson
the republican member of the commit
tee in getting at the bottom Of the
whole business 1t may be all right,
but things have quite an ugly look for
Mr.. Quincy and some other people at
this time. The investigation will he
continued this week.
Representative Bailey, Of Texas, has
an inferno! machine ia the shape Of
bill-at least it will oe regarded by a
considerable number Of Senators and
Representatives should Mr.. Bailey re-
ally push it, as he now says he will do.
The bill provides for an absolute divorce
OF the Executive a1d Legislative
branches Of the government, so far as
patronage is concerned, and makes it
Impossible for any member Of either
branch OF Congress to have any voice IN
the distribution Of patronage. 1t also
provides that when the president needs
any information or suggestions not con-
tanned IN the papers of applicants he
must get it from some one no. mem
nor of Conoraqc Mr. Eallev "a nndupa