Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1896-01-02
A WAITING GAME.
Tho Republican Congress Is Culpabl,
Innrfive.

The Republican Congress Is Culpably
Inactive.
The members of the 54th congress
are acting 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 to Reed have so far
been unheeded, for it appears that the
king ant was buried in the shake up,
and 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 q very perfume
tory character.
If the senate alone. or the house by
itself, had to deal with this question it
would be solved in an hour, but to pro-
Guce a piece of legislation which will
receive the assent of both houses is a
task beyond Speaker Reed and he has
practically admitted it by his conduct.
There have been a dozen suggestions
as to what should be done in order to
provide revenues for the government,
ranging all the way from Hits sug-
gestion to the coinage of all the silver
in 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 bill 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. 1t APP
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 when
this proposition reached the senate it
| was bitterly opposed. Senator after
| senator spoke against it. Stewart said
| it was wrong policy and Dubois de-
ciared that the senate would never
pass any bill that proposed a bond is
sue. His statement passed unchal-
1enged.
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 wrong con-
! clusion. Mr.. Cleveland feels strongly
| on many subjects and under ordinary
circumstances would undoubtedly veto
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 Endorsed 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 method
of retrieving the treasury reserves they
| both knew that such a 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 popular loan. For
the reasons given in the foregoing this
bill has no chance of passing.
Mr.. Hill, of Connecticut, thinks an in
crease in the duties on tobacco will
bring several millions into the treasury.
Qujgg. of New York, is down on inn
ported precious stones. and has intro
duced 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 revenue matters.
Some of these might pass the house,
but they will infallibly be blocked in
the senate.
The house is willing to legislate for
Mr.. Cleveland if it can keep clear of sill
yer. The senate will sit on every bill
that is not silver plate. That is the
situation.-Chicago Chronicle.