Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-02-13
DOINGs AT WASHINGTON

| Uncle Sam ought to turn Snowman for
few days to exhibit the most wonderful lot
of political freaks ever gathered together.
/ He might station himself on the east portf-
co Of the Senate wing of the capitol building
and make this little speech; Walk right in
ladies and gentlemen and see my wonder
full collection of Senatorial oddities; see
Hill, German. and all the cuckoos. who
since voting against the free coinage SUBJ
stitute for the House bond bill. which passed
the Senate last week TO die in conference
| have been suddenly transformed into ram
part advocates of the free coinage of silver:
see the populist senators having the wool
pulled over their eyes by the free trade
| democrats" All this and more. Uncle sam
might truthfully say, without exaggerating
the situationi in the Senate. Every demo-
| cratic senator Is now advocating the free
| coinage substitute for the House tariff bill.
which Senator Jones ofNevada helped them
to report from the Finance committee.
The gold democrats are not doing this be-
cause they have experienced a financial
change of mind. but because they hope to
be able to use the free coinage club to cud-
gel the life out of the House tariff bill a re-
publican measure, which If il became a law
would add $40 900 year to the govern
ment revenues. aud prevent the issue of
any more bonds by the Cleveland admins
tration.
If disposed. those republican senator's
who argued against attempting to do any
thing other than pass the appropriation
bills at this session, because of the lack of
republican majority in the Senate. might
now say I-told-you-so to their more impet-
uous colleagues. But instead of wasting
IN in a.
ing to think out way to outwit the demo-
cratic schemers and get the tariff through
the Senate. just as it passed the House.
They may or may not succeed. but it is en-
couraging to know that whenever the re-
publican and democratic parties have had
contest depending upon brain and wit for
weapons the republicans have always come
out on top.
General HARRISON letter stating that he
was not and would not be a candidate be-
fore the St. Louis convention was no sur
prise to his friends in Congress. among
whom are two ex-members Of his cabinet
Senator Proctor of Vermont and Elkins of
West Virginia. These gentlemen had known
of Gen. Harrison's determination for long
time and they had informed most of the re-
publicans in Congress. so the letter created
no sensation. In fact. Ihave it on good au-
thority that it never would have been writ
ten except for the persistency of republicans
in various sections in Offering their services
to Gen. Harrison for the purpose of electing
delegates to the st. Louis convention who
would favor his nomination. There is more
or less gossip in Washington as to which of
the other candidates will get the influence
of Gen. Harrison. My own opinion based
upon long acquaintance with and the
study of the conduct of the man covering
his term as senator and his four years in
the White House, is that none of them will
get it. Not because he has no preference
but because his unerring sense of the fitness
of things Will prevent his making himself
liable to be charged with trying TO control
the party, after having been twice accord
ed its highest honor. Gen. Harrison will
occupy position of dignified neutrality in
keeping with the proper ideas of an ex-
president and heightened gentleman.
PresidentWiIetts of the National Farm
ers Alliance the Supreme council of which
was in session in Washington this week EVIL
IDENTIFY endorses some of the things said by
Senator Tillman about Mr.. Cleveland, as he
said in his annual address, We are living
today under a supreme Dictator called
president. who openly disregards the will
of the people, who defies Congress and who
openly disregards constitution and law"
MIR, Cleveland must feel like crawling into
a hole and pulling the hole in after him
every time he looks at the footing of those
bond bids. He was so afraid that the credit
of the United States was no good that he
gave syndicate si000O,oO0 of the peoples
money to float loan of s620O0.s00 and 1t
was only because he was virtually driven
into it that he offered the present loan of
$40 900 600 to individual bidders and then he
handicapped the offer by stating his fears
that all of the bonds would not be subscribed
for and that he would in the end have to
fall back upon that same old syndicate.
How much he knows either about the high
standing of the credit of the United States
or the disposition of our people TO aid the
government and at the same time keep our
bonds at home is shown by the figures of
the bids for those bonds. which must be a
continual nightmare to him. Instead of
failing to subscribe for all the bonds. as he
expected the issue is subscribed for five
times over. OF course the fact must be
overlooked that the bidders for these bonds
know that the republican party will be in
charge of the government in a little more
than year
state Uhl was ugh" IL would stand for
what a great many people said when he was
named for ambassador to Germany. Such
positions have usually been given to men of
national prominence.
Awarded