Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-01-12
ANYTHING, so IT'S A BILL.
Cannot Even Make Postage stamps
Political chitchat.
from our regular correspoadent.l

Of the Administrator to the House
Just why Mr.. Cleveland should lie S,
anxious to have the House pass a cur
rency bill of some sort, when HI
must know, as everybody else does
that no currency bill that can be put
through the House will stand even 9
ghost of a show to get through tn,
Senate, is not apparent; but the fact
remains that he is 1t was this anxi-
ETY. that caused him to make friends
with Senator Hill. who is now using
his influence with Democrats of tie
House to get bill passed, going Sc
far as to tell the silver members tina
the Senate will pass the bill aud re
turn it to the House with an amend
ment providing forthe coinage ofseign
orage on the silver bullion now in the
Treasury. The Democratic House
caucus this afternoon settled nothing,
because il was agreed beforehand tina,
it should take no action that would b,
binding upon anybody, but it begins
to look as though the House would
pass bill. No man is in a position,
however, to say exactly what its ma
ture will be, or whether il will be the
Carlisle bill or one of the several sub.
stitutes that will be offered in the
House.
The Administration is beginning to
realize what a serious mistake Seere-
tary Gresham made when he wrote
that official letter saying that the diff
ferential duty imposed on sugar from
countries paying an export bounty on
sugar, was treaty violation. The
representatives of all the contine ntal
European nations are using that letter
as basis for their protests aud threats
of retaliation, and there is no hope
from Congress.
Complaints against the postage
stamps turned out by the Bureau OF
Engraving and Printing continue to
pour into the Post-oflice Department
These complaints are now mostly
against the stamps of higher denomi-
nation than two cents, and include
imperfect perioration, poor finish, and
inferior designs. Millions Of the two
cent stamps had to be destroyed be-
cause of inferior cumming before that
denomination became even fairly sat
isfactory. Whether any OF the stamps
of higher denomination, against which
the present complaints are directed
will have to be destroyed, is a ques-
ton not yet decided by the Depart
ment.
The promotion of Hon. J. c. Bur
rows to the Senate by the Republican
Legislature of Michigan, gave his
friends i'll Congress much personal
pleasure, but when viewed from a
strictly party point of view, the gap
his departure from the House will
leave in the front rank of the heaviest
fighters, is not specially pleasing to
Republicans. although 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 Chairmanship Of the
Ways and Means committee 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 commit
tee. The custom was ignored by the
present Speaker who jumped Mr. Will
son over the head of Mr. Springer and
made him chairman. IfSpeaker Reed
follows the custom Representative
Payne, Of New York, will be chairman
of the committee, il he desires to be;
but somehow the impression is strong
among Republicans in the House that
Representative Dalzell, of Pennsyl-
vania, who is next to Mr. Payne on
the committee, stands as good, if not
better chance to become its chairman.
1t would be highly improper for either
Of these gentlemen TO attempt TO infu-
ence the choice of the Speaker, but
their colleagues are free to Go what
they can in that direction, and the
good-natured rivalry between the
States to secure the cha rmanshfp
promises to be interesting to every
body, except Mr. Reed, who will have
to decide.
Overtures have been made by friends
of the Administration to Republican
Senators, to ascertain how much sup
port can be obtained on the Republi-
can side Of the Senate for the attempt
to kill the income tax by Withholding
the appropriation to put it into effect
Nearly all the Republican Senators
would vote to repeal the income tax,
but unless there is great change.
very few Of them will vote to withhold
the appropriation. 1t is believed that
their mutual opposition to the income
tax was one OF the factors which
brought about the recent reconcilia-
ton between Mr.. Cleveland and Sena.
tor Hill.
Uncle Joe Cannon. Of Illinois, has
a way Of stating things in a nutshell
that has always made his opinion val
liable to his colleagues in the House.
He said of the present financial situa
ton; aAIl this talk about gold disap-
pearance is merely a cover for the fact
that revenues Of the Government are
not sufficient TO meet the expendi.
lures. If Congress will provide suffi-
Gent revenue there will be no trouble
about the currency.