Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-01-14


 gressmen and walters on congress who discuss politics in the rotunda of the Met ropolitan hotel are just q little worse rat tied than they have yet been in this con greSS was told by some uf them before the holidays that they had not made up their minds on the currency bill and would take the documents home with them and study the matter thoroughly, but if they have since made up their minds they are not revealing the same
 A Significant Sign.
 MT. Springer is harassed a good deal for his latest opinion on the prospects, but the most that he will say beyond what he has already said in his speeches is that the people do not understand his substitute bill, and if they did they would approve of it, both statements very doubtful. One of the best signs that the dominant party is very much at sea is found in the fact that they arc willing to allow the debate to run on as long as the minority care to have it. MT. Crisp and MT. CatChings say the long debate is allowed because of the great importance of the measure, but we may presume that they arc making a vir- tue of necessity.
 Among the significant signs is tho great demand for the speech delivered against the bill by Mir Bryan of Nebraska It was certainly an able speech, whatever one may think of his conclusions, but the point of chief interest Is his declaration that par ties must reform their lines on the finan- cial issue. In private conversation hc is much moro emphatic than in his speech and declares that thcre must be n general realignmcnt, like that which took place on the slavery question and the war; that "thcre must be an exchange of prisoners and men who think together must act to- gethor " It is also an interesting fact that all the test votes of tho long session are listed and very carefully scanned, and the attitude of members elect to the next house is inquired about with great eager ness. In short a general summary of the talk of members shows that this year opens with an uncertainty about financial legis- lation not exceeded since 1861 and a gen eral looking for of hard and prolonged strain hoth in lawmaking and business 4 Gloomy Forecast.
 And so you think there is to be an era of stability" said n prominent Democrat, talking toa group of his colleagues. You never were worse mistaken in your lives My guess is that tho country is entering on an era of tho worst unrest and discon- tent it has seen for 40 years. do not be- lieve there will be great strikes and riots, as there were in lS11-at least 1 hope not but party bitterness will Do awful, for | it will be bread and butter question with millions of people have come to the conclusion that there cannot be stabil- ity so long as our financial and revenue system depends on a party and an acci- dental majority. The Republicans say if | they were let alone they would establish q permanent system, and perhaps they | would, but every man of sense knows that \ one party cannot stay in power in this ! country. There must be a system which | satisfies both parties, and l don't know ! any one wise enough to get up such sys- | tenn m hurry. Ever since l came here, | ten years ago. all the talk has been that \ business was dependent on the next cleo \ tion and we must mako a change. We'll, \ I cannot remember timC when business \ depended so much on tho next election as \ now, and all the wisdom of all the wise | men cannot tell how the next election is | going Business is gambling, and politics \ is trickcry, and Sn they will continue so long as their adultcr"IS union lasts
 After listening tn this and good deal \ moro Cl the same kind it was like a comic \ afterpiecc following d tragedy to hear the talk of the Populists who had lately at \ tended the national caucus of their party \ at St Louis It is noticeable that those \ who have served even one term in congress wore earnest in that caucus in favor of a short platform and only one or two promi- nent issues, while those without experi-
 ence were in favor of sweeping the whole
 field. Jerry Simpson says that all the lib
 eral clements of the west, including nearly
 all the Democrats west of Ohio, could bt
 combined in 1896 on platform with three
 planks-free coinage of silver, with dis
 continuance of national banks; reduction
 of the tariff to a real revenue basis, and
 such government control of railroads ant
 teleg-aphs as will ultimately lead to gov
 ernment ownership. Jerry says that thu
 railroad charged his constituents last sum
 mer from three to seven times as mucf
 per car of watermelons to Kansas City Q.
 per car of wheat simply because the farm ! CT could wait with the wheat and couldn'
 with the watermelons, and so "the traffi' would bear it.