Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-08
What is Said of the Prospects Of
the Currency Bill.
SITUATION IN HOUSE And SENATE
Senator Vest Says the Senate
Caucus Made a Mistake.
COM MITTEE ON RU L E S

number of Senators to defeat 1t by fight
have determined formally that they will
oppose all legislation TO the last eXtrem-
ity.
The developments of the democratic
House caucus yesterday afternoon indi-
cate as strongly as possible in advance
that the Carlisle bill cannot be got through
the House. If one-half the fifty-nine DEM
ccrats who voted against the bill in eau
Gus continue their opposition Its defeat Is
certain. With very greatly reduced per-
centage of opposition to the measure
among the seventy-seven absentees. forty
of the fifty-nine might turn about and
vote for the bill without its adoption being
secured.
Friends of the Bill Discouraged.
The friends of the measure are greatly
discouraged-almost hopeless. The rule
fixing the time for vote is expected to be
brought in tomorrow. Whether it will be
adopted or not is uncertain, but 1t Is prob
able that great many democrats will
vote for the rule who could not be got to
vote for the bill. A motion to strike out
the enacting clause of the bill is expected
to be made as soon as the general debate
closes. This will not carry all the strength
of the opposition to the bill, as some of it's
opponents are disposed to permit 1t to
come to a direct vote. The friends OF the
bill apprehend. however that the motion
NAV carry This would end the whole
matter.
No Progress in the Senate.
The Senate workers have made no prog
ress worth mentioning toward an agree
ment on a measure. The House Is looking
to the Senate for some plan in case the
Carlisle bill fails. Several plans have been
devised by Senators and submitted to their
bo MIA for No n
bonds and the coinage of the seigniorage is
regarded as the simplest. and the German
plan for the issue of bonds on which banks
notes may be carried to full par value,
coupled with provision for the coinage of
SJOOOO,OO0 of silver each year, to take the
place of all notes below SO, appears to meet
with most favor. NO plan. however mas
failed to excite the opposition of con-
siderable number of the party. Some OF the
Senators most actively engaged in trying to
have something done say that they have
little hope of accomplishing more than the
presentation of plan which will have
respectful support, but will not be per-
mitted to pass.
silver Mems Opposition.
The silver men will not accept the fifty
million-a-year-coinage proposition. They
have already decided not to permit any
financial legislation which does not carry
free coinage, and considerable number of
the eastern republicans are opposed to per-
character of mere tinkering to make it ap-
pear that the democrats are doing some
thing.
MIR. Vest on the Situation.
Senator Vest is not optimistic as to the
chances of financial legislation by this
Congress.
The Senator was on his way to the meet
ing of the finance committee today when
asked about the story published in some of
the morning papers that compromise bill
hal been agreed upon in the Senate.
1T is all rot" he said. Il suppose you
mean the stuff about Il financial measure
to be offered in the Senate by certain DEM
ocratic Senators. There is nothing in 1t.
Furthermore, in my opinion, there Is no
possibility of passing any financial bill in
the Senate. We have 10 rules, and five
Senators can prevent action on any Dill
during this session. l do not think the re-
publicans generally intend to permit fnan-
cial legislation, but it would be miracle If
a measure could be framed which would
practically command the unanimous sup
port of the Senate, and this is necessary.
1.-The only hope for prompt ard efficient
action was in the democratic party, and
We failed at the outset of the session. In
stead of changing the Senate rules as to
provide for stopping debate and then reso-
lutely taking up the financial question and
the tariff bills from the House. the demo-
cratic caucus of the Senate deliberately re-
fused to do anything of the kind, but de-
bill and the bankruptcy bill. The caucus
action settled the matter and the subse-
quent vote in the Senate made it tinality
Nothing Will lie Done.
"As matters now are in the Senate moth
ing will be done except by unanimous con-
sent. If the yeas and nays could be called
on taking off the differential duties OF one
tenth and one-eighth on sugar the majority
would be for the removal, but there is a
settled determination that this vote shall
not be TAKEN and if any Senator will find
way to bring about the vote so that the
country can see how each man Stands,
will follow his leadership to the end.
Final Vote on Friday.
The committee on rules of the House of
Representatives met today with view OF
carrying out the instructions of the demo-
cratic caucus to frame a rule closing the
currency debate. A general understanding
was reached that the rule should fix the
final vote for Friday next. But the rule
itself was not framed, as the committee
thought it desirable to let the general De
bate run through today before presenting
the rule 1t is probable that the rule will
not be framed or presented until tomorrow,
although another meeting Of the committee
may be held late today to arrange the text
of it.
The leading men of the various elements
opposed to the Carlisle currency bill dem
ocrats republicans and popul1sts) held
several informal conferences today with a
view to agreeing on a plan for forcing the
contest to a speedy close. As a result of
the talks the combined opposition may vote
against the rule to be reported by the rules
committee. AS the rule Is regarded as in
dispersable to a passage of the measure
the defeat of the rule would be equivalent
to a defeat Of the bill.
The Republican View.
Representative Walker of Massachusetts,
a republican members Of the currency COM
n,ttee, summed up the republican view of
the situation thus: "The caucus establishes
beyond a doubt that the bill is dead On
the ratio of the caucus vote yesterday, the
vote in the House, if every member at
tended, would be 135 for the bill and 221
agairst But as there will not be a full at
tendance, I estimate the vote as 50 for and
1871 against. The adverse vote includes
every republican and populist-122 in all
and many democrats. The number of votes
for the bill in caucus is its utmost
strength" Democratic friends of the
measure contend, however. that this view
is incorrect and that some members who
opposed it in caucus will vote for 1t in the