The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-06-20
ALL BOTCHED UP.
Congressman Patterson Says
Tariff Bill is Bungled,
But it is Pretty Strong After
All.
ONE THING SUITS HIM.
We Will Have Money to Throw
at the Birds.


slams, Investigations of sugar bribery and
Investigations of the causes of depression
in business and labor, the senate does make
progress with the tariff bill, and of late
tolerabIy rapid progress The pressure
from outside has become almost too strong
to be resisted except by a few senator's who
are now the minority of the minority, but
they hold out tenaciously, and strange
threats are heard. The ordinary strain
of night sessions would be nothing new,
but Mcssrs. Jones, Vest and Harris give
hints Of more stringent measures Anx-
ious members Of the house say that the
courtesy of the senate can only continue
so long it is not fiagrantly abused, and
70 the suggestion that the bill might even
vet be talked TO death in the senate a
house leader responded: They will not
dare so dangerous a proceeding Let the
elections go they may, "a of the present
Democratic senators will be in the senate
till late in the next presidential term, and
some more are sure to have Democratic
successors. So if the rule is established
that the minority can prevent legislation
they will work that rule in the next con-
gress and the next and so on. 1t won't do
Hopeful View.
Colonel Josiah Patterson, who was for
awhile among the most anxious in the
house. says he has got over it and is will
ing to wait till the Republican senators
get ready to quit of their accord. He adds:
THE Democrats are standing up there to
let the Republicans break bark over their
heads. and the bill is all botched and
splotched up anyhow, but after all it is a
pretty strong bill. If you wiz take the
schedules through, you will ind that, even
if the other fellows get all the concessions
they claim from this on, there will be a
reduction of more than Is Der cent from
the Mckinley bill, and that's a big gain,
considering the troubles we have had. An
other thing suits me about the way things
are going-the bill will get into operation
just in time to catch the revival of bust
ness, all the coal miners will be AZ work
about the time our friends out in the min
ing regions begin their campaign, and the
old women who sell butter and eggs, chick
ensand the like will have money to throw at
the birds by the time election day comes -
Bleeding at Every Pore.
This is a common method of consolation
among the Democrats, and occasionally one
finds Republican who comedies the truth
of it. Major Ben ButterwOrth, who has
been here great deal of late, talks with
great freedom this phase of it, but stall
wart Repu blicans consider him more than
half a free trader anyhow. In the course
of rambling chat on politics and bust
ness he said: when the Mckinley bill
was proposed, I told my Republican col
leagues that we were virtually pledged to
revise the tariff downward and that if we
raised the rates we should be badly beaten,
for the time for that sort of thing had
passed 1 now predict, as / have often
predicted before that there will never
again be a high tariff man elected president
of these United States. 1t is strange that
our Mckinley men in Ohio cannot see that
SO far tho name of Mckinley is associated
in the minds of the people outside of Ohio
with nothing but the most disastrous de-
feat and failure If our friends in the
other end of this capitol were wise, they
would have that bill voted on as
possible They would urge the Democrats
to go faster, for the country is bleeding at
every pore, and everybody thinks delay in
settling the tariff question is the main
cause of it, and a majority think the Re
publicans responsible for the delay.
lone thing, however, must be said
the Democrats throughout the country are
a good deal more angry at their senators
than any Republican is at ours That
election in Illinois shows that neither par
ty went to the polls very much. By the
way, you will notice that for three years
so the vote has been falling off. The
reason, think, is sheer disgust on the
part of the people of both parties. In 1892
moro Republicans staid at home than
Democrats and now more Democrats are
staying at home than Republicans, but
both sides arC wearied and disguised by
this nonsensfcal delay
Beginning OF the End.
Messrs. Jones, Vest and Harris still In
Bist that the end is rear, but with the |
shortest supposable time for it to remain |
In conference the tariff bill cannot become |
law by the 3Oth-end of the fiscal year
and the time set for it to go into opera
ton 1t is also almost certain that most |
of the appropriation bills will be delayed |
till after the Both, and joint resOlu- |
ton will have to be passed extending the |
terms of the current appropriations. The |
Indian bill dragged along much later than |
even the most pessimistic had expected, |
and the house worked up considerable i'll |
humor over 1t. Meanwhile the advocates |
of free coinage of silver are mastering |
their forces, determined to have one more |
fight before the session ends.
: Senator Squire's bill Is favored, of |
course, but only as n beginning, a sort of |
unstable compromise until something bet |
ter can be had 1t provides that any /
owner Of silver bullion may deposit it at /
the minis and receive payment therefor in /
standard silver dollars at the price of sill |
yer bullion on that day. OF the silver /
thus purchased the secretary is to have /
coined 81, 600, 600 per month until the ag- /
gregate of money of all kinds in the coun- |
try reaches $40 Per capita, and thereafter /
the coinage shall only be sufficient TO /
maintain that ratio. Still another scheme |
in process of incubation is that the price |
of silver shall be fixed arbitrarily at 81 /
per ounce aud that all silver, American |
or foreign, may be deposited and the /
holder shall receive therefor Slver GER |
tiflcates at that rate. The prophecy made /
a few years ago by Sherman and other |
''gOldbugs" that any concession to the |
silver men would only make them de- |
mand more has been amply fulfilled. The |
half conversion of Senator Lodge and the |
alleged half conversion Of Tom Reed and |
others to bimetallism have removed the |
last lingering doubt the silver men had |
that their early triumph is certain if they |