The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1895-03-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

1S95.-SenatOr Hill has EeeL
strikingly unfortunate in his at
tempts to assume the role Oh
mediator between the silver mer
and anti-silver men in the senate
but he stated a truth which is
patent to all men when he SAID
that on general financial ques
tions congress was further apart
now than it was six months ago,
and to prove his assertion cited
the proposition to issue gold
bonds, which although twice de-
feated in the house is stillupheld
in the senate by a few men, on
the one hand and the bill for the
unlimited coinage of silver, fav-
orably reported from the senate
finance committee, on the other.
No proof was needed. The div
ision is apparent to all the world
1t was proposed last week that
the senate should this week pass
the bill for the unlimited coin
age of silver, its opponents hav-
ing partially agreed to allow a
vote to be taken, after a day or
two of speech making, but moth
ing is now certain except the
speech making, certain senators
with presidential aspirations be-
ing dubious about allowing a
vote to be reached.
There is still great deal of
feeling in congress against the
administration on account of the
manner in which those bonds
were sold, and there is more or
less mysterious talk about some
thing that may be done to pre-
vent the delivery of the bonds,
but there is no reason to believe
that anything can be done now.
1t is a hard bargin, but it is legal.
Longing eyes are being cast
towards the very comfortable
vacancy left by the death of Hon.
Isaac p. Gray, u. S. Minister to
Mexico, by number of gentle
men who will retire from the
senate and house after the 4th of
next month. 1t isn't considered
a desirable mission, hut the ST.
800 year attached to it must
appear very desirable to those
who are about to have their
names erased from the public
payroll. If the senate were on
better terms with President
Cleveland, Senator Ransom
would stand a good chance to
catch the plum as he has been
endorsed by nearly the entire
senate.
Senator Hill had an amend
ment tackled on the joint reso-
luton, extending from March 1 |
to April Is the time for making
returns under the income tax
law, which may defeat the reso-
luton if the senate insists upon
the Hill amendment. According
to Commissioner Miller of the
Internal Revenue Bureau, some
of the questions which officials
are forbidden by the Hill amend
ment to ask are absolutely es-
sential, and he has appealed to
of the house to either
get the Hill amendment struck
out or to kill the entire resolu-
ton.
An interesting fact in connec-
ton with the defeat of the last
gold bond bill in the house is
that it would have been defeated
just the same if it had been left
with the members of
either of the political parties
represented in the house. 80
democrats voted for the bill and
81 against; 81 republicans for
63 against, while 10 populists
voted against and none for the
bill.
AS usual in the last weeks of
every congress, committees are
beginning to report bills which ,
their members appearsto be ex-
ceedingly anxious to have pass ,
ed, when they know that they ,
have not one chapca ont ~ .