The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-01-12
tFrom our Regular correspondent
MAsNINOrON. M. 5. 10

predicament where they may well ask
"where am | at ?" The first four days
of Congress contained succession Of
surprises for the average democrat, in
the continued failure to get quorum
of democrats in the House to vote for
the resolution reported from the com
mittee on Rules making the Wilson
tariff bill a special continuing order
until January IS, when final vote is
to be taken thereon That some demo-
Gratis were opposed to certain schedules
in the bill was, of course, kncwn, but
that any considerable number of them
would carry their opposition to the ex-
tent of declining to attend the session
of the House in order to make up a
voting quorum of democrats, in order
to prevent the bill being taken up,
was certainly not believed until the
fact was made so plain that 1t could
no longer be doubted.
The names of 81 democratic mem
bers of the House have been publish
ed as opposing the personal income
tax and as none of them have entered
denial it is fair to assume that the
list published was correct. This may
account for the seeming sudden in
crease Of the democratic opposition TO
the tariff bill, but the income tax is
not yet part Of the tariff bill and in
deed may never be, as there is proba
bllity, amounting almost to certainty,
that the Ways and Means committee
will report it to the House as a separ-
ate and distinct bill to stand or fall on
its own merits, instead offering it as
an amendment to the tariff bill.
The democratic caucus while it did
not specifically endorse the tariff bill
did so Indirectly without lewiston
when it adopted Speaker Crisp's reso-
luton, that it was the duty of every
democratic member of the House to
vote for the resolution from the com
mittee on Rules providing for the con-
sideration of the tariff bill also to at.
tend the daily sessions in order that
pressing public business might be at.
tended to; but the trouble, or at least
a portion of it, arises from the fact
that only few more than two thirds
of the democratic members of the
House attended the caucus and that
those who did not attend do not re-
gard the resolution as binding on
them. If any democrats were bene-
fitted by this cross pulling it would be
more excusable, but they are only
playing into the hands Of the republi.
cans who are openly exulting over the
present deplorable condition of affairs.
Steps have been taken-orders is
sued for the arrest of absentees-
which it is believed will result in bring
ing to Washington this week every
democratic member of the House who
is well enough to come, and the party
leaders are confident that they can
get and keep a quorum of democrats
until the tariff bill is passed. We
shall see.
All of the old Hawaiian straw has
been Refreshed since the news arriv-
ed via Auckland that the ex queen of
Hawaii had agreed to the conditions
first submitted to her and that Minis
ter Willis had in accordance with his
original instructions requested the pro-
vislonal government to retire in her
favor, and that the provisional govern.
ment had declined to do so. Presi-
dent Cleveland has later dispatches
which came from Hawaii by the steam.
er Corwin, but neither he nor Secre
tary Gresham has made their nature
public. Whether they confirm the
Auckland dispatch is not positively
known, but from remarks of democra.
tic Congressman who have seen the
President since he received them it is
that they do Either way it would not
change the situation at all, as Minis
ter Willis had positive instructions not
to use force to bring about the change,
a fact of which Minister Thurston,
and which of itself made it almost
certain that there would be no change,
unless the provisional government vol
unfairly retires.
Attorney General Olney had little
fun the other day with delegation of
republicans from Kansas, headed by
Representative Curtis, which called on
him in the interest of Colonel Jones
who wants to be U. S. Marshall.
While he did not say so in so many
words the Attorney General left the
impression upon his callers minds
that republican influence is not cal
culated to improve any democrats
chance for getting an appointment
under the Department Of Justice. The
Kansans left in doubt as to whether
they had Injured the prospects of Col
onel Jones and certain that they had
not improved them.
Representative Pendleton, of Texas,
has introduced a free coinage bill,
MAKING the avaraua rrica Of ooIJ onJ