The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-04-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, D. O., March 23d, '94.

dicker with the silver men in connec.
ton with the bill for the coinage of the
seigniorage, now awaiting the action or
non. action of the President. Some of
these rumors had it that deal had been
made with the silver men by which the
bill would be signed in exchange for
the votes of the silver senators for the
tariff bill; others that majority of the
House coinage committee had promised
to report no other silver bill if this one
was signed, and still others that an offer
had been made to the silver men to
sign the bill if they would promise to
vote for bill authorizing long term
per cent. bond issue. Representative
Sweet, of Idaho, Republican member
OF the coinage committee and silver
man, was SO indignant at the rumor
oncerning majority of that commit
tee having made promise concerning
the future action of the committee that
he prepared a resolution directing that
committee to investigate and report
upon the following questions: Were
such assurances given the President?
If 30, did the committee authorize
them; and if 80, whence the committee
derived it's authority? If such authori-
ty was given by the committee who
was authorized to convey the assurance
to the President? If no such action
was taken by the committee, then if
any member or members assumed to
speak for the committee and the House,
that their name or names be ascer.
tanned and reported to the House.
Mr.. Cleveland is placed by the coin
age bill. as the saying is, "between the
devilsand the deep sea-" Ii he follows
his own inclination he will veto it, but
the party pressure is SO great that he
hesitates, and, as another saying goes,
che who hesitates is lost" He gets no
consolation from his cabinet, which is
divided-Gresham, Herbert and Smith
favoring his signing the bill Bissell,
Lamont and Olney advocating veto,
and Carlisle and Morton non. n.committal
but believed to be friendly towards the
bill. Mr.. Cleveland has until the Goth
inst to decide, but every day brings ad-
ditional pressure on both sides.
Republicans have good reason to feel
encouraged over the tariff outlook in
the senate. The only thing that the
Republican members of the senate
finance committee insisted upon in con.
nection with the reporting of the bill
to the senate was that the debate should
not begin until Monday, April 2, and
they carried their point. The bill as
reported is in such an unsatisfactory
shape that it cannot be passed by the
senate until material changes are made.
This is admitted even by those Demo-
Gratis who are most anxious for it to
pass. That gives the Republicans a
good fighting chance to defeat the bill
outright, and it will be taken advantage
of to the fullest extent. A Democratic
senator who desires the bill to pass re-
marked to another SENATOR eff the
Republicans are shrewd enough to vote
solidly against striking out the income
tax they can defeat the bill, as there
are at least seven Democrats who will
never vote for the bill with that clause
in it." There may be something in
that, but great commercial pressure is
being brought to bear upon Republican
senators for the purpose of getting them
to vote to strike out the income tax.
So far no binding agreement has been
made by Republican senators as to how
they shall vote, but it is probable that
some sort of an arrangement will be
made to keep their votes together
Although there is an individual here
who styles himself the "local represen.
tative of Coxey's commonwealth army"
and he has been around the Capitol dis.
tributing maps and pamphlets relating
to the proposed march on Washington
to whoever would accept them, the
whole business is regarded by Congress.
men generally as nothing more than a
hoax, although some of the populists
are accused of believing in the scheme
but not one OF them has said so pub.
licly. Coxey's army will probably turn
out TO be about the same sort of an army
as the 100000 men that one Henry
Watterson, once upon time threatened
to bring to Washington to forcibly in
augurate Samuel J. Tilden President.
General Watterson changed his mind
before the time arrived, and if Gen.
Coxey doesn't change his mind he will
probably consent to have at least three
ciphers struck out of his figures repre-
senting the strength of his army before
he gets here with it.
Chairman Manley of the Republican
National committee was in Washington
this week. He says the committee is
anxious to hear from any Republican
who has suggestion to offer either for
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