Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-03-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.



Minister and his corps Of spies. and
the Spanish lobby at Washington
are all working along the same lines,
to defer Congressional action In favor
of the Cubans, and to prevent the
Cubans getting aid from private par
ties In the United States, and 1t is
not to be wondered at that there are
whispers of q bargain. There are
certainly grounds for suspicion that
such Is the case. 1t Is well known
that Mr.. Cleveland has been and is
at this time using all his influence to
get Congress to postpone definite
action. and failing In that to have
the action o: such nature that 1t will
not be binding on him, and 1t is said
that he has positively promised the
Spanish minister, that this govern
ment would take no step likely to
strengthen the Cubans before next
June. 1t is also well known that
there is a strong lobby, well supplied
with money, working on Congress In
behalf of Spain. These things to-
gether with the whole power Of the
administration being at the beck and
call of the Spanish minister to be
used whenever and wherever he sus-
poets that fllibustering expedition
is about to leave the United States
for Cuba. are not calculated to in
crease public confidence in an admin
istration already tainted by its past
acts.
A more senseleys bluff was never
made on the floor of the Senate than
that Of Senator Allen, Of Nebraska.
Having first ascertained by publicly
questioning Senators Aldrich, Platt
and Hawley that his proposition
would not be accepted by the Repub-
licans, Mr.. Allen gravely proposed In
the name of the six populistic Sena-
tors, that they would furnish the
votes necessary to pass the House
tariff bill, II the Republicans would
furnish the votes necessary to add an
amendment to that bill providing fol
the free coinage of silver. And all
this, mind you, on the floor of the
Senate, in open session.
No man who heard Senator Sher
mans short speech after the Senate
had for the second time voted against
consideration of the House tariff bill,
could doubt the intense feeling that
LAY behind his words There 10 nc
question about his having meant
every word when he said: at is Q
disgrace to our civilization, 1t Is q
disgrace to the country itself that we
are now expanding $50, 600, 900 yeal
more than the receipts Of the govern
ment, and that Congress now in ses'
sion, with both houses fully armed
with power to furnish the revenue, Is
idle and refuses to act. l will vote
for a tax on tea, coffee, on anything
In order to meet this deficiency, and
1 say that If the present Congress
does adjourn Ia the face of declara'
tions now made to us, of the official
reports sent to US. of the statements
made by the President OF the United
States, and the Secretary of the
Treasury, that we are now going on
day by day, like careless spend
thrift to involve the country in debt,
selling bonds, when it is the duty of
Congress at once to supply the rev.
enue-" At this point Senator
PETER interrupted to say that the
President asserted that we did not
need additional revenue. Quick as
flash Senator Sherman retorted in
tones sharper than he has been heard
to use for years: II do not care what
the President says. Every man within
the sound of my voice knows, that we
need more revenue
Chairman Dingley, of the House
Ways and Means committee, said OF
the fate of the tariff bill, which bore
his name: "Of course, this ends al
chances for the passage of any rev.
enue bill. BY solid democratic
and populistic vote, making In them
selves majority, without the vote'
Of the five silver republicans who
joined them, the Senate has sale
that 1t will not have the forty mill.
ions of revenue offered by the Hous,
bill to prevent further deficiencies
The House has done its duty In offer
ing revenue, but this majority of tn,
Senate assumes the full responsible
ity for refusing 1t; and no doubt Pres
ident Cleveland is grateful to then
for relieving him from the Difficult
position he would have occupied, /
the bill had reached him, and he hat
interposed veto. The vote of thu
Senate simply means that so far a
the majority of that body is con
cerned they want the deficiency t,
continue with the bond sales which
Il