The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-07-27
Washington Letter.

Washington, d. c., July 81. 1S94.-
He must be queer sort of Democrat
who can get any satisfaction out of the
present tariff situation. The report of a
general disagreement as a result of near
" two weeks, work on the part of the
house and senate conferes certainly does
not look encouraging, although some of
the gloom is lifted bv the knowledge
that while the disagreement is for rea-
sons satisfactory to the conferees report
ed to be general it is in fact only over
some half a dozen of the senate amend
ments, including sugar coal and iron ore,
the house conferees insisting that they
should 90 on the free list as IN the VIII
son bill, and the senate confereeS that
they shall remain as passed by the sen
ate 1t Is not clear Just at this time
what the outcome will be, but | cannot
believe that the Democrats in congress
will be willing to carry the disagreement
to the extent of allowing the Mckinley
law to remain in force, as is now being
iubilantly predicted by the Republicans.
1t would be better if the cOnferees after
another attempt fail to reach an agree
meat to call in some prominent Demo
Gratis from the outside and let them ar
bitrate. The Democratic party has
promised the country tariff law and 1t
will be suicidal for the Democrats in
Congress to fail to keep that promise.
The senate committee on territories
decided at its meeting this week that al
though the Utah bill first became law
Arizona and New Mexico should be ad-
mitted to the Union at the same time.
and directed that bills therefore should
be ready by its next meeting.
Political ingratitude is so common in
Washington that it seldom attracts more
than passing notice, but the apoStacey
of Representative benson, of Albania.
who has written letter announcing his
withdrawal from the Democratic party
and his intention to act with the Popu-
lists hereafter, Is suck glaring case and
and his object SO plain to all that 1t Is
receiving more attention than ii really
deserves. Said an Alabama Democrat:
The reason given by benson for leay
ing the Democratic party-his inability
to support President Cleveland and his
financial policy-ls absolutely ridiculous
when the fact II remembered that he
owes his seat in the house to Cleveland,
who, during his first administration, APP
pointed him United States district at
torney for the northern and Middle DIS
sricts of Alabama, thus giving him the
prominence which enabled him To get
elected to Congress two years ago
Now President Cleveland, as all the
world knows, has not changed the tinan-
cial ideas he held during his first term
1t is benson who has changed, and the
reason, while obvious, is not hattering to
I. IL. /. 1
in his district for several years-he only
beat his POpulist opponent 10y 1900 votes
in a total OF %, OOO-and benson be-
heves it will carry the district this year
and is willing to be elected to Congress
as a PopuiiSt rather than TO chance be-
ing defeated as a Democrat. Such men
can be spared by the Democratic party
Representative Bailey, of Texas, was
made happy this week when the house,
by a vote of 127 to 81, passed his volun>
tary bankrupt bill. He has maintained
ever since the Tory bankrupt bill was
defeated that Il majority of the house
favored a national bankruptacy law and
that 1t was only because the Tory bill
put II in the power Of the creditors to
force man into bankruptcy when he
considered himself solvent that it was
defeated. The vote on Mr.. Bailey's bill.
which makes a man Judge of his own
solvency, indicates that his Judgment
was correct.
Representative Springer, of Illinois,
was this week given a hearing, by sub
committee of the house committee on
labor, on his bill providing for compul-
sorry arbitration of all disputes between
employer and employees, by a national
board of arbItratOrS. Mr.. Springer
claims that his bill covers every possible
contingency that may arise, and that if
1t be enacted into law a long step will
be taken towards the solving of the
problem which has been so troublesome
Of late. \ number of bills dealing with
the same subject are being considered bv
the sub committee.
Representative Bland, of Missouri,
proposes to put the newly-found friend
ship for silver which so many RepubH-
cans are protesting to the test, by getting
his bill for the free coinage of silver re-
ported from the house coinage commit
tee, If he can manage to get "A quorum
of the committee who are favorable to
the bill together soon. Owing to the
absence of members and the nearness of
the close of the session the chances are
against Mr.. BANDS succeeding. An
other thing that adds to the chances
against him is that a considerable num-
ber of members of the house, many of
them Democrats, are strongly opposed
to any further agitation of the silver
question at this time and still more op-
posed to the taking of record vote on
the Bland bill.