Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-03-15

names tho secretary of the treasury, the
director of the mint and the superintend-
ent of the coast and geodctic survey as a
commission to inquire into and report to
the first section of the Fifty-fourth con-
gress a plan for a mctrical system of
weights and measures. If this can be per-
fcctcd, all our measures will run by tons,
as our money now does. The commission
to examine and report on the strike and
troubles generally at Chicago has done
good work, and a joint resolution provides
for the printing Of 10, 600 copies Of its re-
port. An amendment to an appropriation
bill gives SIS, 600 each to the heirs of the
persons killed in the Ford's theater disas-
ter, and only the hurry of the closing hours
prevented proper awards to the survivors
who were injured. 1t is a pity and like
wise a shame that the persistence of indi-
vidual members of the senate, n persistence
not altogether free from suspicion Of un-
worthy motives, delays the erection of q
new government printing office, for there
IL great danger of a calamity there which
will make tina Of tho Ford rhearer seem a
trife by comparison.
Interesting Private Bills.
OF the many hundred private bills a few
are of some interest. One is for the relief
of Mrs. Evelyn Van Vliet, widow of the
captain once so famous in the west. An
other grants proper pay and indemnity for
losses to the members Of Captain Ceran
St. Vrain's company of New Mexico
volunteers. 1t was so long ago that the
present generation knows nothing of it,
but St. Vrain was a very eminent citi-
zen of New Mexico, governor of the fort
named for him, when our forces took pos
session of that country in 1916, and the
next year he and his men did splendid
work in protecting American residents.
A large number of disputed land claims
have been settled. Every tribe Of Indians
in the United States, says Mr.. Holman,
has been at last located whore it wants to
be, their accounts have been put in process
of satisfactory settlement and some toler-
ably good land has been obtained for white
settlers, but nothing like 50 much as many
people imagine, if 1 may judge from the
letters of inquiry received. incidentally
the old sore about UNCONVENTIONAL schools
for Indians has been pretty severely eau
teriZed, AND we are promised that in a few
years there will be no moro of them. The
District Of Columbia has Jared well, and
! at the very last the commissioners were
authorized to appoint women as school
trustees, which is recorded by the Vino
daughsis as another victory for the sex.
AZ to the things which congress neglect.
ed or refused to do-well, l am not COM
piling an encyclopedia, but a few facts
| may be mentioned without ~offense, l hope.
The first hlundcr of the president was, so
say all the judicious party leaders, in not
| calling congress together as soon as he
discovered that trouble was just ahead.
He said that 1.-THE country needed an OBJ
ject lesson, and the people would have to
suffer considerably before congress would
do its duty as to the finances His Sec
ond and truly phenomenal blunder was in
supposing that any congress at this time,
in view of public sentiment, could be in
duced to retire the ~greenbacks and COM
nit the issue of paper currency entirely to
the banks. Nine congressman out Of ten
from the states west of Ohio and south OF
the Chicago parallel and very many OF
those from other sections say that such
action would simply have been political
suicide on their part. 1t is a bit singular
that the president should have erred sc
~grieyously in regard to public opinion,
and the net result of his error and Thu
hopeless split in his party on the finances
is that we lave had all the misery of the
ODJCCU 1CSoOu thlo oCGoICN OUll1
whatever, unless it be that the Fifty
fourth congress is to confront a still great
or problem than the Fifty-third did, ant
that unless it can promptly settle j
finance will be the great if not the onl,
political issue in 1896.
Generally Admitted.
AS to the great leading measures, SOM
facts are freely admitted by the leaders o
both parties. For the repeal of the Sher
man law no one is now sorry. The sam
is true of the repeal of the federal election
law. So far the last congress was a sue
cess. AS to the Wilson-Gorman tariff act
it is generally admitted that it must hav
a few years trial anyhow. The incom
tax is criticised less every day, and if on
may judge from the reports so far receive
it is the most popular feature of the bill.
I am almost persuaded that the railroa
pooling bill as it passed the house was tn
most unpopular, but as to the reasons VIII
j, one must read tho speeches of the Populis
= members. The defeat Of the Reilly bill fc
refunding the debts of the Pacific railroa
was and is a subject of such venomou
g controversy that as to the Judgment of tt
, future one mans guess is as good as al
c others.
Y 1t would be a pleasing though possib]
: invidious task to set forth the gains an
losses of individual members of the FIT,
g third congress. 1t is a matter of commo
S remark that many old members rave 10
ground from the start. Their records ha'
!. been made to appear very inconsistent
their eloquence has lost force, and the
G regulations have been dimmed.
Some Coming Men.
g On the other hand, many comparativ
ly new men have gained wonderfully, al
no congress has developed more good spea
% ers. If I had to name the coming men
the Democratic party, I should place Nj
Bailey of Texas-Judge Bailey, as '
sometimes call him-among the first. I
possesses every needed qualification for
I. growing man-perfect health, the for
n and stature of Apollo, a strong al
tolerably pleasant voice, firm nerves, a j
s. dicial temper and the rare combination
At good judgment and readiness in deba,
being equally strong in an impromptu fl
minutes debate and an elaborate addres
. And he is only 80 years old. He was d
trict presidential elector at 20, elector
large at "a, and member Of congress at 6