The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-05-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON. May 81. 1894.

front to the enemy for convincing them that
sents a striking confirmation Of this assertion.
Just as soon as every democratic Senator in
town signed an agreement to remain in their
seats each day until Senator Harris should
move to adjourn the republicans saw that the
6libustering jig was up, unless they were pre-
pared to remain 10 their seats for an indefinite
period to keep it up and there was little prob
ability of success even then, as the silver re-
publicans publicly gave notice Of their inten-
ton to aid the democrats in keeping a quorum
and in getting a vote on the bill, and there
are other republican Senators who privately
expressed the same sentiments. The fllibus-
tering died hard, but when Senator Harris's
motion for the Senate to meet, beginning to-
day at 10 o'clock was made, no negative
votes were cast.
This does not, of course, mean that repub-
lican opposition to the bill has been with
drawn, bat that it has been forced by the
united front of the democrats down to a legi-
innate basis and that extended debate is 10
longer expended upon minor items in the bill.
The democrats have no desire to stide debate
on the really important sections of the bill
and the proposed amendments, and they ex-
pect that q reasonable amount Of time will be
consumed when the sugar schedule, The in
come tax and other really important portions
of the bill are reached, but they do not intend
that debate merely for delay shall play any
further part in the consideration of toe bill,
and in that determination they have every
reason to believe that they are supported by
nine-tentbs of the people of the country, re.
gradless Of politics, who want this question
settled at the earliest possible moment, in the
interest of a resumption of business.
The fairness of Vice President Stevenson in
selecting the committee which to-day began
the investigation, authorized by the resolu-
ton adopted without q dissenting vote by the
Senate last week, was in marked contrast
with the action of republican presiding OH
GERS of the Senate in selecting similar CON-
mittees in the past. Although he would
have been jus,i6able in putting three demo.
Gratis and TWO republicans on the committee,
be only selected two democrats-Gray, of
Del, and Lindsay, Of KY, allowing the pop
ulists one m~ember-Allen of Neb., and the
republicans two-Lodge, of Mass, and Davis,
OF Mimi.
The first work of the committee will be to
try to get at all the facts connected with the
outrageous attempt to bride Senators Kyle, of
S. D.. and Hunton, of Va, to vote against
the tariff bill. Sensational disclosures are
looked for in this case but your correspondent
is not over-sanguine that they will pan out:
not because they do not exist, but because when
men start out to accomplish anything by bril-
berry they seldom leave their tracks uncovered
to a sufficient extent to have the cri me legal
" fastened upon them.
The committee will also investigat the
numerous charges connecting the Senators
who arranged the amendments to the tariff
bill with the sugar trust in a scandalous mau-
ner, and your correspondent does not hesitate
to predict that the foundation of every one
of these charges will be found the same
partisan vindictiveness against tariff reform.
But whatever the foundations may be the
committee proposes to get down to them
if such a thing is possible. Several we'll
known republican newspaper men will find
it difficult to produce authority for cbargse
they have made against Senators, and it will
not be surprising if some of them even
tually figure in court as defendants in
criminal libel suits. The first official
work of the committee was to vote unani-
mously in favor of hearing the testimo-
ny 10 secret. This was not because of any
desire to conceal or to cover up anything, but
because it was thought to be the best way of
getting to the bottom of things. Every word
of testimony taken will be printed and made
public at the close of the investigation, but 10
the meantime Senator Gray will decide just
how much shall from day to day be given to
the newspapers.