The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-04-04
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Incidents in Congress--Presidential
Prospects--The Financial Question.


WASHINGTON, d. c., April ,, 1886.
The deliberations Of Congress have been
during the past week confined chiefly 10 the
routine work of passing the annual appropria-
ton bills, and little of general interest has
TRANSFERRED. Two incidents in the Senate of
passing interest occurred during the consid
Grafton of the legislative appropriation bill.
One was the effort to engraft political scheme
on the appropriation for the Territory of New
Mexico by inserting proviso that the meet
ing of The territorial legislature should be de-
ferred from December, the time heretofore
provided by existing law, until May. The
object of this appeared TO be to accomplish
important local political legislation i'll the
event that a Republican Federal administra-
ton should supervene in March. 1t was Wig
orously opposed by Senator Hill, who de-
nounced it in strong terms, and by Senator
German, who stated that il was the first at
tempt to interpolate political legislation into
an appropriation bill that he had ever known,
and was voted down. The second was a pro-
viso connected with the appropriation for the
State Department authorizing the Secretary
of State to employ certain clerks outside Of
the civil-service regulations, which had been
recommended by the Secretary. 1t was OPP
posed by Senator German on the ground that
the blessings.of the civil-seryiee regulations
should like the dews of heaven, descend upon
all the civil servants alike, and was also de
feated. Mr.. German did not claim any es-
pecial credit for the Inauguration of the civil
service doctrine, but he thought that while its
rigorous exactions were so inexorably applied
to the poor girls who endeavor to make liv-
ing by folding and stitching in the public
printing Office it did not come in especially
good taste or strong reason from the fine gen
tlemen of the State Department to be asking
exemption therefrom.
The election of delegates to the Republican
/ National Convention goes ON apace, with the
/ result that Mckinley is maintaining his safe
| lead. with growing confidence on the part of
| his managers in his nomination on the first
| ballot The bold ground taken by Senator
Chandler in the damaging disclosures made
| by him, as heretofore noted in this cores
| pondence, leads to one of two conclusions /;
Either that the opposition is not without we'll
| founded hopes of defeating Mckinley, or that
they are inspired by degree of desperation
and resentment that does not augur well for a
harmonious campaign
The combined opposition have succeeded
within the past week in opening a fire in Mr.
Mckinley's rear which evinces their desper-
alton and to which more or less significance
is attached The Columbus Dispatch, a lead
ing Republican newspaper of Mr.. Mckinley S
own State. which has up to this time sup
ported his candidacy, cGmes ont in leading
editorial, in which the following damaging
admission of the probability of Mr.. Chambers
charges is made:
Major McKinleys political manager denies the
charge that money is being contributed by the
wealthy manufacturing interests toward the eX-
penses of his present campaign. But a member Of
the State Committee when Mckinley made his first
campaign for governor in authority for the state
ment that 100000 was then contributed by these
capitalists TO help in McKiDley's election. There is
an inference in this that is fair and cannot be
looked These are not pleasant things to contem-
plate but the people have right to know the
facts, ugly though they be, and we have performed
the duty of a newspaper to the public i'll relating
them
Marked copies of this article are being sent
all over the country by the combine.
The skirmish for position on the financial
question in the coming campaign is going on
in one-sided fashion thus far, as the Demo-
cratic State conventions have not yet begun
to speak. Mr.. Mckinley led off in Ohio with
a decided ''stradde," and it was said that
this would be followed by the friends of Gov
ernor Morton in New York with decided
''sound money gold-standard plank with
something of the Cleveland ring of the yellow
metal about it, and thus take up the gaunt-
lett but careful analysis of the two plat
forms does not reveal that Mr.. Mckinley
Morton took it mp to any great extent. The
Republicans have not said or done anything
thus far that gratifes or inspires the Western
silver men of their party. The compromise
they will contend for is foreshadowed in the
Oklahoma platform, which adds at the end of
the fine verbiage of the Mckinley straddle,
which it reiterates, the following practical
clause
We believe the best way to continue the parity Of
dollars and at the same time enlarge the circu-
lating medium commensurate with the growth OF
the population is the unlimited use of the domestic
silver product in our monetary system and the
prohibition of foreign silver modified by financial
reciprocity.
1t is not likely that the silver Republicans
will compromise on anything less than this,
nor is it at all probable that so much will be
conceded to them. The effort to merge the
financial question for the present in that of
protection, which is strongly pressed by the
Mckinley following in the silver States, does
not appear TO succeed
The Democrats will have the advantage Of
profting by the Republican platform in max
ing up their own. A pregnant suggestion
comes in published letter from Hon.
Chauncey f. Black, the president of the As
sociation of Democratic Clubs. in the way of
harmonious financial plank in the Demo
cratic platform as follows:
Why not let Bs agree-gold standard and FREQ
silver Democrats-ail of Us who have stood together
for generations In defense of the Constitution strict
ly eonstrued-to abide the Judgment of the majority
in national convention? Let us declare and let MS
manfully keep the pledge that there being no con-
sttutionnl question at Issue. the candidate of the
Democratic party for President Will, il elected sign
any bill covering the use of silver as money which
shall have pissed Congress with majority of the
Democratic votes In its favor think have seen
some such suggestion as this from that eminent and
eloquent free-siyer Democrat Senator Vest. and IL
is a good and Just one. Where majority of the
people, through their Representatives in Congress-
elected on the issue, decree thing upon which
there constitutional inhibition is the veto JUS
tifiable? cannot think So VERIrAs