Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-03
RULE OF THE "CZAR."
HIS FOLLOWERS CONSENT TO
WEAR MULES.
The House No 50 Debating Society,
The Ram Katahdin Rejected by
Civil Service ExaminatiOn-R Rus.
sia's Proposed Loan.


Civil Service Examination-Rus.
sia's Proposed Loan.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 81, 1895.
Speaker Reeds muzzles are in prime
working order. lie mnzzled the mem
bers of the Ways and Means commit
tee and compelled them to report two
bills prepared by him. one increasing
the tariff upon woods, woolens and
lumber to 60 per cent. of what was in
the Mckinley law, and raising the
tariff upon everything else, excepting
sugar, 10 per cent above present rates,
and the other providing for the issue
OF three per cent. coin bonds to re-
plenish the gold reserve whenever the
Secretary of the Treasury deems it ne
cessary, and of $5O,OOO,OOO in three
per cent. 3year Treasury certificates,
or so much thereof as the Secretary of
the Treasury may need from time to
time. He muzzled the Directing Re-
publicans who wanted the bills sub
mitted to a caucus before being re-
ported to the House, and lastly he
muzzled the House and had his bills
passed, notwithstanding that the Dem
ocrats did all the protesting they could
under the Reed rules. against the rail-
reading of such important legislation
through the House without debate.
When one of his own party went to
Mr.. Reed and asked that reasonable
time be allowed for debate on the bills
before they were passed Mr.. Reed dis
missed him by saying sharply: "The
House isn't debating society,"" In
fact, for all practical purposes there is
no House. Its powers have all been
usurped by Mr.. Reed and its only i'm
portant duties are to obey his orders.
But there are neither Reed rules
nor methods in the Senate, to which
these bills have now gone, and the
country may count upon their being
thoroughly debated before they are
acted upon. 1t is doubtful whether
either of them can pass the Senate at
all, and certain that neither can get
through without being materially
amended.
The President this week formally
declined to accept the ram Katahdin,
built by the Bath Iron Works, because
of the failure of the vessel to make
the speed stipulated in the contract.
The rejection is merely a technical
one, as the administration and the
naval officers are entirely satisfied
with the boat and know that the fail
ure to reach the required speed was no
fault of the builders who merely fol-
lowed the government plane in the
construction Of the vessel. 1t would
have set aprecedent which might make
trouble in the future to accept the YES
set after its failure to make the speed
named in the contract, so it was
deemed best to refuse to accept. But
the administrations influence will be
used to get the joint resolution author.
izing the President to accept the Ka-
tahdin, which has already been intro.
duced, adopted by Congress, 80 there
is little doubt that the katahdin will
soon be part of Uncle Sans navy.
In creating three election commit
tees to bounce those Democrats whose
seats are being contested by Republi.
cans and to give those Republicans
who are holding seats which are con.
tested by Democrats a valid title to
their seats, Mr.. Reed overlooked one
thing that is already making trouble.
The Committee on Elections has but
one room, and each of the three COM
mittees claim the right to use it.
The union printers are not so glad
about the extension OF the Civil Ser
vice rules to the Government Printing
Office as they were. Already four nom
union printers have secured positions
in the bnilding by passing the re-
quired examination, and there will be
others, until their number grows 90
great that the Office will have to be
classed as non-union.
The report. although not yet OF
officially confirmed, that Russia has
offered to loan the u. S. 100000, 600
in gold, without interest, has probably
created greater CONSERVATION among
the European gold kings who have
been squeezing enormous profits out OF
the United States under our present
bad financial system than did Presi-
dent Cleveland's bold announcement
in behalf OF the Monroe doctrine. AL
ready an agent of the Rothschilds has
been to Washington to assure Secre-
tary Carlisle OF their willingness to
furnish all the gold this government
might need, Notwithstanding their
assertion right after the Monroe
doctrine message was published that
American securities of all sorts had
been put on the black list. Of course
there is no probability that this govern.
ment will accept Russia's offer. but it
was none the less very friendly and
gracious act on the part of Russia. and
it furnishes the administration with q
weapon that will inspire fear in the
minds OF the European gold kings, who
know by experience what Russia can
do in the financial line in opposition
to them. Russia has not only made
itself independent of THO aforesaid
European money kings, but while do
ing it has accumulated $500, OO0, 600
in gold. More than half OF this gold,
for which Russia has no particular use,
is deposited in European banks out
side of Russia. That is the gold that
she is willing to loan us. Its with
drawal from Europe would be a knock
down blow for the gold kings. Dem.
1T is not surprising that Austria