San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-01-11
Glte putlY eight.
FRIDAY, JANUARY II, 1895
WASHINGTON LETTER.
by our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jan. z, '95.

Anything, so 1t Is currency bill,
is now the cry Of the administra-
ton to the House. Just why Mr..
Cleveland should be so anxious to
have the House pass a currency
bill of some sort, when he must
know, as everybody else does, that
no currency bill that can be put
through the House will stand even
a ghost of a show to get through
the Senate, is not apparent; but
the fact remains that he is. 1t
was this anxiety that caused him
to make friends with Senator Hill q,
who is now using his influence
with Democrats OF the House to
get a bill passed, going so far as to
tell the silver members that the
Senate will pass the bill and return
it to the House with an amend
ment providing for the coinage Of
seigniorage on the silver bullion
now in the!treasury. The Demo-
cratic House caucus this afternoon
settled nothing, because it was
agreed beforehand that 1t should
take no action that would be bind
ing upon anybody, but 1t begins to
look as though the House would
pass a bill. No man is in a posi-
ton, however, to say exactly what
its nature will be, or whether it
will be the Carlisle bill or one OF
the several substitutes that will
be offered in the House.
The administration is beginning
to realize what serious mistake
Secretary Gresham made when he
wrote that official letter saying
that the differential duty imposed
on sugar from countries paying an
export bounty on sugar, was a
treaty violation. The representa-
tives of all the continental Euro
pean nations are using that letter
as basis for their protests and
threats Of retaliation, and there is
no hope from Congress.
Complaints against the postage
stamps turned out by the Bureau
OF Engraving and Printing con-
tinue to pour into the postoffice
department. These complaints are
now mostly against the stamps of
higher denomination than two
cents, and include imperfect per-
foration, poor finish and inferior
designs. Millions of the two cent
stamps had to be destroyed be.
cause Of inferior cumming before
n n
fairly satisfactory. Whether any
Of the stamps Of higher denomina-
ton, against which the present
complaints are directed will have
to be d. stroyed, is question not
yet decided by the department.
The promotion Of Hon. J. G.
Burrows to the Senate by the Re-
publican legislature of Michigan,
gave his friends in Congress much
personal pleasure, but when viewed
from strictly party point OF view,
the gap his departure from the
House will leave in the front rank
Of the heaviest fighters, is not spe.
cially pleasing to Republicans, al
though there are plenty of men
more than anxious to take his
place.
The retirement OF representative
Burrows from the House will leave
the contest for the Craftsmanship
Of the Ways and Means com mittee
between the great states of New
York and Pennsylvania. 1t is
customary, but not obligatory, for
the speaker OF the House to name
as the chairman Of that important
committee, the senior member of
his party on that committee. The
custom was ignored by the present
speaker who jumped Mr.. Wilson
over the head Of Mr.. Springer and
made him chairman. II Speaker
Reed follows the custom Represen-
tative Payne, Of New York, will be
chairman Of the committee, II he
desires to be; but somehow the i'm
preston is strong among Republi.
cans in the House that Represen,
tative Dalzell, Of Pa, who is next
to Mr.. Payne on the committee
stands as good, II not a better
chance to become it's chairman. Il
would be highly improper fol
either Of these gentlemen to at
tempt to influence the choice o
the speaker, but their colleagues
are free to do what they can in
that direction, and the good-na
tured rivalry between the statel
to secure the Craftsmanship prom
ises to be interesting to every body
except Mr.. Reed, who will have t.
decide.
Overtures have been made b,
friends Of the administration t.
Republican senator's, to ascertain
how much support can be obtained
on the Republican side Of the Sen
ate for the attempt to kill the in
come tax by withholding the an