The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-27
WHAT WILL CONGRESS DO.
Evident That Programme Cannot Be
Even Mapped Out.

Washington, November 26.-Judging from
the opinions SO freely expressed by mem
bers of Congress who have already arrived
in Washington, as well as those who have
been interviewed at long range, it is evident
that no programme of legislation can be
even roughly mapped out until after the
various party caucuses have been held in
Washington The leaders of both houses are
uncertain as to the wisest course to pursue,
especially with regard to the tariff question,
and there is also a radical difference of
opinion as to whether an extra session of
the Fifty-fitth Congress will be necessary.
Some of the shrewdest and most inf1uen-
tial of the Republican Senators are in favor
of passing the Dingley BILL thus making an
extra session unnecessary, while others
take the ground that the coming session will
be entirely consumed in discussion of the
| annual appropriation bills, leaving no time
whatever for the passing of tariff or finan-
cial legislation, OF even for action the
Cuban question. The caucuses will be held,
however, as soon as possible after Congress
meets, and legislative programme ar
ranged so that the country will know what
| to expect.
| 1t is rumored here that those Democratic
| Senators who took an active part in behalf
| of McKinley's election Will be excluded from
| the Democratic caucus, and that the Repub-
licans will in like manner exclude those of
| their party who bolted the st. sLouis Con-
vention and supported Bryan and the
Chicago platform. Whether the sound
money Democrats will caucus with the Re
publicans and the free silver Republican
with the Democrats is not yet known. 1t is
possible that the Republicans, the sound
| money Democrats, the free silver Democrats
the free siver Republicans, and the Popu-
| lists pure and simple may each have eau
| Gus of their own. Information has been re-
| ccived here that Senator Teller, the leader
| of the free silver forces in sthe Senate, will
not reach Washington until December 10. sc
| that it is quite unlikely that there will be
| q conference of free silverites before thai
| date.
| Senator Quay is one of the influential Re-
publicans who believes that the tariff ques
| ton ought to be settled at the coming ses
sion. Yesterday the Senator surprised hi,
friends by coming out openly in opposition
to the Senatorial aspiration of John Wanna.
maker and intimating that his choice for
successor to Mr. Cameron is Senator Boise
Penrose. Today MI. Quay is equally franl
in stating his views to the wisest course
for the Republicans in Congress to pursue
On this subject he said he believed it would
be wisdom on the part of the Republic an
to reach some conclusion on the tariff ques-
ton without waiting for an extra session o.
Congress. He was not prepared to say tina
he is in favor of the pending Dingley bill
but he insists that an effort should be mad,
to increase the revenue with as little della!
as possible. His idea is that, with the Ding
ley bill as basis for action, measure
might be framed that will afford the ad
ditional revenue desired. If the consider