Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-05-01
IN STATU QUO.
THE RAILROAD FUNDING BILL IN
ABEYANCE.
! International Arbitration Confer.
ence-A Deal Between the Pops
and the z. o. Ex-senator Smith
Puts a ella mp Upon Carnagie.
From Our Regular Corresp ondent.


and the z. o. Ex-senator Smith
Puts n ella mp Upon Carnagie.
From Our Regular Corresp ondent.
WASHINGTON, April Oath, 1896.
The people are sometimes quicker
to see the undesirability of proposed
legislation than the Congressman are,
and in election years, ii at no other
time, the expressed disapprobation of
the people is quickly deferred to by
the men who control Congress. A
case in point is the Pacific Railroads
bill which has been reported to both
House and Senate. Now, although
! this bill involves an enormous amount
of money, and that it is much more
favorable to C. P. Huntington and his
ring of capitalists than TO the govern
ment, as was SO ably shown by the
protest written by Senator Morgan,
from sick bed and presented to the
Senate as minority report, it was
proposed to railroad it through Con.
gress during the last days of the
session. This programme had the
support OF Speaker Reed and of lead
ing men in the Senate, and was being
whooped up by Huntington and his
lobby. The bill has been so generally
condemned by the people that halt
has been called in the programme,
and it is now said that the bill will
not be acted upon at this session of
Congress, if it ever is in its present
shape.
Senator Cockrell succeeded in his
humane effort to have the Senate
amend the Indian appropriation bill
so that it provides that two years shall
be allowed the sectarian (Catholic)
Indian Schools to prepare to turn their
scholars over to government schools,
if they DO not wish to teach them at
their own expense; but there is no
certainty that the A. P. A., which has
shown its control OF the House several
times during the session, will agree to
it.
President Cleveland assured the
delegates to the National Arbitration
Conference which met in Washington
this week, who called on him, that he
was thoroughly in sympathy with
their aim to bring about system OF
international arbitration of all disputes
not affecting the sovereignty of ma
tons.
The unseating of Representative
Cobb, OF Ala, in favor of Goodwynn,
the Populist who contested the seat,
by the Republican majority of the
House, was a part of the deal through
which it is expected to carry Alabama
this year by Republican-I'opulist
combine. This was so palpable that
few Republican members refused to
vote for it, but not enough TO defeat it.
The danger OF putting young men,
with more egotism than parliamentary
knowledge, in the Speakers chair was
exemplified during the debate in this
case. Speaker Reed desiring to con.
suit with some of his boomers called
Representative Barrett, of Mass, to
the chair and retired to his private
room to figure on his chances for the
Presidential nomination. Mr.. Barrett
got tangled up, and was about TO get
the House in the biggest sort of row
by attempting to shut off Mr.. Cobb,
who had been allowed one hour to
speak in his own behalf. Fortunately
somebody sent for Mr.. Reed and he
returned to the chair and straigthen ed
out matters. He also tried to let Mr..
Barrett down easy by saying that he
had misunderstood the agreement
under which the House was acting,
but Representative Bailey, of Texas,
promptly called him down by shout
ing: Ignorance, not misunderstood
ing" This man hopes to be Speaker
of the next House, if Reed becomes
President and the House remains Re-
publican-a formidable eff"
Senator Smith, of N. J., has probably
been scratched off Andy Carneige's
list Of friends, il he was ever on it.
The reason is an amendment which
Mr.. Smith wishes to have attached to
the Naval appropriation bill. This
amendment instructs the Secretary OF
the Navy to make no contracts for
armor plate for the battle ships pro-
vided for in that bill unless the price
be at least as low as $500 ton Of g.
600 pounds. Carnegie is now making
Uncle Sam pay $500 ton for armor
plate, but has promised to reduce the
price, to prevent the government under
taking to make its own armor. Senator
Smith wants to make sure that the
reduction is what it should be, and
yet there is no injustice in the figures
he names as that is the price at which
Carnegie and his associates have taken
a Russian contract. 1t remains 10 be
seen whether Carnegie's friends in
Congress can head off that Smith
amendment. DEN.
THE Capability of the cathode raw