The Forrest City times., 1896-01-03
BLOCKING BUSINESS.
The Republican Congress Is Cuipabi
 Inactive.

efe actlng very much like the inhabit. ants of kicked ant heap. They are running around wildly, trying to find out what struck them out and who got hurt. Appeals 10 Reed have so fa1 been unheeded, for it appears that tn, king ant was buried in the shake up ;'hd has not yet dug his way out.
 Beyond the announcement of the committees absolutely nothing was done toward acting on the suggestion made in the presidents message The committee of ways and means is un. derstood to be trying to arrange some plan for raising revenues, but the at tempt seems to be of very perfume. tory character
 II the senate alone, or the house by itself, had to deal with this question i, would be solved in an hour. but to pro Gdce piece of legislation which will receive the assent of both houses is task beyond Speaker Reed and he ha, practically admitted it by his conduct There have been dozen suggestions as to what should be done in order tc provide revenues for the government ranging all the way from Hitt's sup gestion to the coinage of all the silver i'll the treasury vaults. These two sug gestions, opposite as they are, fairly illustrate the state of affairs in the two houses.
 The house of representatives will have nothing to do with any bin that proposes the free coinage of silver and the senate will have nothing to do with any bill which does not put the white metal in the foremost place. It ap peared for little while as if the prop osition to issue popular loan in the shape of three per cent. bonds of small denominations, to be sold to the people at large, would go through, but wher this proposition reached the senate ii was bitterly opposed. Senator after senator spoke against it. Stewart said it was wrong policy and Dubois de. clared that the senate would never pass any bill that proposed bond is. sue. His statement passed unchal. lenged.
 Silver is the main point at issue in the senate. Reeds boom and the Platt. Quay combine are the controlling forces at the other end of the corridor. Any proposition to reenact any part of the Mckinley bill would be bitterly opposed by the combine because it would at once put Mckinley prominently before the people and would seriously interfere with the presidential plans of Reed.
 The republicans in the house attempt to clear their skirts by saying that any bill they might propose would be vetoed by the president. This is a wroug con- elusion. MT. Cleveland feels strongly on many subjects and under ordinary circumstances would undoubtedly veto | a bill which conflicted with his personal ideas. In the present crisis, however it is doubted if he would veto any bill that came to him indorsed by both sen- ate and house, always provided it was clear and practical method of raising money.
 Although both the president and Sec rotary Carlisle have recommended the retirement of greenbacks as a method ol retrieving the treasury reserves they both knew that such measure would stand no show either in the house or the senate. Both houses have been pretty thoroughly polled and an over whelming majority is against the prop. osition.
 Several bills intended by their authors to add to the revenues of the govern. ment have been lately introduced. The one which has attained the most notice is that introduced by Representative Amos Cummings, providing for an is- sue of three per cent. bonds of small de- nominations as a popular loan. For the reasons given in the foregoing this bill has no chance of passing.
 MT. Hill, of Connecticut, thinks an in- crease in the duties on tobacco will bring several millions into the treasury. Quigg, of New York, is down on inn ported precious stones, and has intro duced a bill providing for an increase in the duties. Bowers, of California, wants high duty put upon the impor- tations of fruits and nuts. There have been several other bills introduced look ing to an increase in the tax on beer and in other internal reveune matters. Some of these might pass the house, but they will infallibly be blocked in the senate.
 The house is willing to legislate for Mir. Cleveland if it can keep clear of sil- yer. The senate will sit on every bill that is not silver plate. That is the