The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1895-03-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent ]

ohcODAhS NANho GIL obpCAil1O 10 DC-
ing made in Washington to con-
coct plot which, if successful,
promises to give him consider
able trouble in the near future.
The attempt appears to be in the
whispering stage just now, and
may or may not ever get any fur
ther. According to the little
that has leaked out about it the
plot aimes to consolidate all of
the i-Cleveland men in the
Fifty-fourth congress and to Sc
cure the impeachment of Presi-
dent Cleveland on the ground
that he violated law in making
that contract with foreigners for
the last sale of bonds. AS the
story comes to me, the plotters
figure that the Republicans and
Populists will all vote for inn
peachment; that the silver Demo
Gratis will mostly do likewise, and
that considerable number of
other Democrats will join them
because they would like to see
Mr.. Stevenson president. No
names are being mentioned in
connection with this plot, butmy
informant intimated that a prom
inent Democratic senator who
bitterly and openly antagonized
President Cleveland during the
late session of congress was pull
ling the wires. The whole story
sounds highly improbable, but
its nature is such as to make its
verification at this stage impos-
sible; hence it is given for what
it is worth.
The administration has tariff
problem on hand that may prove
very troublesome before it is
solved. Certain European coun-
tries have, apparently by a pre-
concerted arrangement, shut out
American meats and cattle, al
leging the existence of disease,
which is stoutly denied by Off
cials of the Department of Agri-
culture. There is law under
which the Secretary of the Treas
ury can order the collection of a
ten per cent. additional duty up
on everything brought to this
country in vessels flying the flag
of either those nations. The ad-
ministration does not, for sever
al reasons, wish to take advan-
tage of that law; but something
has evidently got to be done, and
soon.
There was no variation this
year in the usual contest be-
tween the chairman of the house
committee on appropriations aud
the ranking member of the OPP
position party on that committee,
over the amount appropriated by
the last and several preceding
congresses. The contestants
were chairman Sayers and Rep
resentative Henderson, of Iowa,
and although the disparity is not
so great as it has been at the
close of other congresses a glance
at the figures given below will
be sufficient to convince that il
is great enough to raise a doubt
as to the accuracy of the maxim
figures do not lie" Following
are the totals given by these
political contestants Of appro-
priations made:
Savers figures.
51st congress 81, ,035, $50, 100. 81.
52nd q 1,027, 104, 547. 90.
53rd +" 1890, 338, 691. O4.
Henderson's figures.
51st congress 1888, ALI, 1873. 81.
Sind g 81, ,027, ,104, 547. 92,
53rd (" 1890, 338, 691. Oh
1t will be noticed that their
figures agree as to the appropri,
ations made by the last two con
crosses, both of which have been
Democratic, but differ to the ex
tent of forty odd million dollars
as to the Fifty-fir which was
the first congress to be known as
the "billion dollar congress-. al
though the Republicans have al
ways claimed that the figures
\ given by Mr.. Henderson above
are the only correct ones.
The American Bi-Metallic par
ty, more commonly known az
the silver party, has opened
headquarters and is now appar
entity waiting to see how the an
nouncement of the new party
and the suggestion that ex-Rep
resentative Sibley be made its
presidential candidate will be re
ceived by the country. The sill
yer men in the other partie:
have, as rule, fought shy Of
pronouncing either for or agains
the new party; they, too, arr
evidently waiting to ascertain