Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-07-20
From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON LETTER.

| ference DcIWceu cl9Hl ucHlOCiato dhu
the various trusts which demand pro-
lection of their interests in payment
for past and future contributions to
the democratic corruption fund, is still
| going on, and from that has leaked
out there has been some very lively
word battles in the committee room in
which the meetings are held. Little
Mr.. Wilson, who by order of Mr..
Cleveland was put at the head of the
House Ways and Means committee
got so worked up at one of these meet
| inos at their various demands made on
behalf of the trusts by the Senators
| that he left the room in a huff and
swore he would have nothing more to
do with it. However, after consul
tation with boss Cleveland he thought
better of it and is now a regular at
tendant of the meetings, and before
the thing is closed will probably vote
as meekly for what the trusts want as
any of his colleagues. No indications
of when the legal conference, which will
be attended as by law provided by the
entire committees appointed by the
Vice President and Speaker of the
House respectively, will begin. has
been given to the six republicans who
are members of these committees.
Senator Hales resolution calling
attention to the irregular and illegal
status of the meetings now being held
may be heard from again in a way that
will be both unexpected and unpleasant
to the democrats and the trusts. When
conference committees were by law pro-
vided for in case of disagreement be-
tween the House and Senate on pend
ing legislation it was not with the in
tention that the members of the ma
jority party should devote days and
weeks to bargaining and dickering
with each other in order to arrive at
cut and dried agreement which should
then be sprung on the minority and
solidly supported by the majority.
On the contrary, it was intended that
the conference should be all that the
term implies-a full and free discus
sion of the points of difference between
the House and Senate, by all OF the
representatives of the House and Sen
ate, and not by representatives of only
the political parties that happen to be
in control of those bodies, and never
until now has that intention been de-
liberately violated, although there
have been hundreds of conferences
held. Senator Voorhees, admitted that
a mistake was made by not inviting re-
publicans to be present at the first
meeting held, but so far as known he
has taken no step to correct that mis-
take. Strictly speaking those eight
democrats have no legal right to tink
er with that tariff bill 70 the forced alb
sence of the six republican members of
the conference comittee, and their at
tempting to do so may make trouble
foz them ard their party. This tariff
business is q long way from being set
tied.
Some OF the democrats have sudden
" discovered that Utah will probably
90 republican and SO greatly are they
exercised over it that they are actually
trying to get Mr.. Cleveland 70 veto the
bill for the admission of that territory
TO the union. Mr.. Cleveland did not
want the Utah bill passed at this ses-
sion ef Congress, but from the best
obtaiuable information it is not prob
able that he will veto the bill now that
it has passed, as it would be difficult to
find good reason for so doing.
The commission which Mr.. Cleveland
has agreed to appoint under the act of
1888, to investigate the railway strike,
is not likely to secure any very valuable
information, inasmuch as it will have
no authority to get to the bottom of
the trouble by investigating the causes
of the strike against the Pullman COM
pany, which was responsible for all the
rest. 1t can only deal with inter state
railways and their employees. 1t is
difficult to understand how the labor
organization got the idea that this COM
mission would have authority to arbi-
trate. One section of the law under
which Mr.. Cleveland will appoint the
two additional commission u serve