Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-01-17

bine''-Etc.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10th, 1895.
The whip of the Quay-Platt-R Reef
combine seems to be just as effective
among the Republicans of the Senat.
as it was in the House, but it had t.
be heavily laid upon some OF the Re
publican Senators before they would
agree to support the tariff bill arranged
by Mr.. Reed and passed by his House
without amendment. They swore
through two long caucuses that some
Mckinley amendments should be at
tached to the bill or they would not
support it, but at the third caucus
Boss Quay's welding OF the combine
whip was more than they could stand
and they agreed to support the bill
without amendment, thus scoring
another decisive victory for the Quay
Platt-Reed combine. But this does
not make it certain that Mr.. Reeds
tariff bill will pass the Senate. Some
votes will have to be gotten either
from the Democrats or the Populists
to pass it, and if it passes President
Cleveland will never sign it.
There is very decided difference OF
opinion in Washington as TO how that
call for the purchase of bonds will
result, the majority seeming to be on
the side of those who think private
individuals will not bid, because they
haven't the gold.
Senator Gray, of Del, jumped upon
the idio,ic idea advanced by Lodge, Of
Mass, and supported by Chandler
I" Little Billee') of N. H.. that the
editor of the New York World had com.
United high treason by obtaining and
publishing the views of prominent
Englishmen on the VenzueIa matter
and the issue of bonds, with the follow
| ing vigorous language: "Now, in the
evening Of the nineteenth century, you
cannot bark back on the track Of the
dead centuries and attempt to stifie
expression or effort to obtain ex-
preston in this country or abroad. In
this country and in all civilized coun-
tries a just public opinion is the final
arbiter of all questions. 1t is not
necessary for me to say, if this sug-
gestion is seriously made, that it is i'm
possible in this day and hour to at
tempt any inquisitorial Interpretation
Of statute for the purpose of sitting
an expression OF public opinion"
There are lots OF lawyers in both
House and Senate who regard the
Supreme Court decision against tho
constitutionality Of the income tax as
a mistaken one, but Senator Vest is
the first one of them who has openly
attacked the decision. In the course
of speech, answering Senator
Sherman's recent financial speech,
Senator Vest said of it: ain my
opinion, no judgment has ever in the
history of the country been rendered
which has done so much to destroy the
influence of that high tribunal and
excite distrust on the part of the PEG.
pie of this country" He declared that
he would not trust himself to say in
the Senate what he thought of that
decision, but would leave it to men,
bers of the court who dissented there
from, and he read from two of those
opinions. Referring to the effect of
the decision he said: at marks a
new era, and greatly mistake if the
time does not come when neither soft
words nor honeyed praises will prove q
sufficient apology"
That "Hog combine" was Q fitting
name for the gang who secured all the
offices of the House was made APP
parent to all when it attempted TO
create 4S new officers, in order to pro.
vide for that many more followers.
But the dose was too big, or the men,
bers of the Committee on Accounts,
which has charge OF the House con-
tingent fund from which it was pro.
posed to pay these 4S additional Of
fees, were not fixed" At any rate
to the surprise of the hog combine"
the committee reported that in view
Of the low ebb OF the contingent fund,
and the utter needlessness of most of
the places" it could only recommend
the appointment of three of the 48
new officials provided for in the resolu-
ton. Spirited attacks were made on
the "hog combine" by Johnson, of
Ind, and Walker. of Mass, the latter
declaring that officers OF the House
were not appointed by majority of
the members, nor by the Speaker, but
were parceled out by the combine.
Senator Mills, of Texas, has been
"jollying" the Republicans unspar-
ingly about the House tariff bill, now
in the Senate. He offers his congratula.
tons to the Republicans of the House
for having, after many years abuse Of
the Democratic idea of q tariff for
revenue only, passed the only strictly
revenue tariff bill that ever went
through either branch of Congress.
The Republicans try to escape the
charge Of Inconsistency by claiming
the bill to be an emergency" measure,
but the claim does not work.
II Gov. Morton could have heard
the conversation at conference held
at the Washington residence of Senator
Quay one night this week it might
have been worth good money to him.
Those who met Senator Quay were
Boss Plat, Joe Manley, J. 8. Clarkson
and Chauncey 1. Filley. The con-
ference lasted nearly all night.
TWAS really amusing to hear Senator
| Morrill,. chairman of the Senator
Finance Committee, which has ma
jority OF Republicans, disclaiming
responsibility in the name of the Re.
publican party for the action of the
committee in reporting free coinage
bill as substitute for the House bond
bill. DEN.