The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-12-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
d. c., December

about the opening of Congress. to demo-
crat, was the absence of SO many of the
men who have for years fought in the front
rank of the democratic party Among the
absentees in the Senate are Butler, of South
Carolina who has been succeeded by En-
Gov Tillman: Hunton. of Virginia. whose
successor is Martin. good democrat; Nc
Pherson, of New Jersey, succeeded by
republican. and Ransom, of North COrOH
ma, whose successor is a populist. But it
is in the House that the hole in the demo-
cratic ranks is the biggest 1t seems
strange to hear the roll called without
the names of such veterans in Congress
ional harness as Holman and Bvnum. of
Indiana; Springer. of Illinois; kilgore of
Texas: Hatch and Heard, of Missouri:
Cultivate, of Ohio; and a score of others
who have won honors and sears battling
for democratic principles.
EX-Speaker Crisp WILL of course. be the
leader of the democrats of the House dur
ing the present session, the man who will
call down Gar Reed every time he at
tempts to trample on the rights of the mi
nority. There has been no thought among
democrats that this would be otherwise as
was shown by the votes of the democratic
caucus-all cast for Mr.. Crisp. The stor
les about the administration desiring an
other man for leader had their origin with
those who wished to add to the unfortu-
nate differences already existing in the
democratic party by making it appear that
President Cleveland was demanding that
no silver man should be given a post of
honor 1t is need 'ess t. say to any inteli
gent democrat that President Cleveland
never thought of such a thing as debating
to or interfering in any way with the DEM
ocrats in the House
Representative Otey, of Virginia, has a
scheme that will injUre no one and may
greatly benefit needy eXConfederate sol
diers if it can be carried through. In the
Treasury there is an accumulation of mon
ey sequestered during and directly after
the war for want of evidence to show its
proper owners, amounting to about $25,-
O0O,0 InaSmuch as this money belongs
in the South and that its rightful owners
will probably never be found Mr.. Otey
proposes to try to get bill through Con-
gress, providing that the interest on this
money shall be distributed among needy
eXConfederate soldiers, and that when
they no longer need such aid the principal
shall revert to the government to be used
as any other money provided by Congress
In order to avoid any charge of partisan
ship, even by implication, Mr.. Otey pro-
poses having the bill introduced by re-
publican. if he can get one to do it.
Few people in Washington take any
stock in the story that comes from New
York to the effect that Mr.. Harrison has
made a combination which is to place Ex-
Senator Warner Miller on the tail of the
Harrison ticket. Washingto people know
Mr.. Harrison for one of the shrewdest pol
itcians the country has ever had, notwith-
standing the impression of some people
that he is too dignified to get down to the
level from which political wires have to be
pulled, and knowing that they cannot be-
lieve that he has made any deal with such
has-been as Miller. If he could get Gov.
Norton to enter a combination for the
nomination of the old-'SS-ticket he'd
jump at it, but Morton has not Low enough
for Mr.. Harri"On to do so, even if he desir-
ed to again become candidate for Vice
President,-he remembers '92. Failing to
make deal with Mr.. Morton, Mr.. Harri-
son has made one with Senator Allison, it
is said, for the express purpose of oppos-
ing both Reed and Mckinley. Inciden-
tally they have agreed that if at any time
during the convention their combined
strength will nominate either, it shall be
given to the one controlling the largest
number of votes. Harrison next to get
ting the nomination for himself wants to
keep both Reed and Mckinley out of it.
The calm which now prevails among the
republicans of the House is as omnous in
its way as that which precedes storm at
sea. To the inexperienced onlOoker,
Speaker Reed is a Gar. indeed. But there
Is a reason why everything seems to be 60
ing Mr.. Reeds way among his party col
leagues in the House. He hasn't announ-
ced the committee assignments. Until he
does the calm is likely to last. all of the
republicans want to get good commit
tee places as they can. But after the as
signments are announced the disappointed
ones will be numerous and Mr. Reed can
not let them down easy by saying that he
was bound by promises made before his
election to disappoint them, as his friends
have for weeks been making a special
point of claiming that he would become
speaker without having made a single
promise and that he was free to arrange
the committees just as he wanted them
Therefore every disappointed man will
know just who to hold responsible 1t is
charged also that Mr.. Reed took hand in
naming the minor officers of the House
who were elected to-day which make him
some more enemies in his own party On
the whole the outlook for him can hardly
be considered pleasant one.
President Clcveland's message was
ready to go in too day, but as has often been
done at the assembling of IA new Congress,
it was held back to give the House a
chance to organize and will 90 in to-mor-
row.
Secretary Hokc Smith has gone to At
lanta. where he will, by special invitation,
deliver a financial address before the Geor-
gia Legislature. He is expected to return
TO " aSUln on this week