Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-02-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 1896.

which nominated Mr.. w. A. Shaw, of
Spokane, Washington, to be Secretary
of the Senate; Mr.. I'll. L. Grant, of N.
G. to be Sergeant at Arms, and Mr..
Alonzo Stewart, of Iowa, to be As
sistant Doorkeeper, authorized Sen
ator Sherman to call up the question
of the election of these officers when
ever he sees it fit, but he is not ex-
pected to do so until assured that they
can be elected. In other words
until certain that at least one
populist will vote with the repub
licans. That leaves matters in an in
definitive shape. Senator Frye has
been unanimously elected President
pro tenn, but when the other repub-
lican officials can be elected nobody
knows. 1t may be tomorrow; it may
be not at all.
The outlook for the House tariff bill
is not encouraging, no matter whether
Senator Quay's resolution, to recon-
NIT the free coinage substitute, which
the Finance committee last week re-
ported to the committee, be adopted
or not. If adopted there is nothing
10 show that Senator Jones, of Neva-
ia, who holds the balance of power
will allow anything but free coinage
substitute to be reported from the
committee. And if it isn't adopted,
there is little hope of getting the tariff
bill through the Senate.
The House will this week refuse to
concur in the Senate free coinage sub
stitute for the House bond bill, and
the substitute will be sent to confer
ence, where it is likely to remain.
The syndicate represented by Mr.. J.
Pierpont Morgan will get about one
third of that bond issue, simply be-
cause its bid for the entire issue was
tiny fraction higher than that put in
by the syndicate represented by an
other New York banker. Whether
Mr.. Morgan made his close shave by
reason of advance information-he
probably dds question, but the
most important fact connected with
Mr.. Morgan's bid was that, although
the market quotation for these bonds
was little lower than it was last year
when he made that private deal with |
Mr.. Cleveland for the So, ZOO, 900 bond |
issue, and that these bonds will have
one year less to run, his bid for these
was seven cents on the dollar-$7, O0O,-
900, in all-in excess of the price he
paid for the same bonds one year ago.
Has the Senate a right through
select committee to investigate the
election of members of a State Legis-
lature which elects y. s. Senator?
That is the problem which has been
referred to a sub committee of the
Senate Elections Committee, and the
answer will probably determine what
action the committee will take upon
Senator Aliens resolution for an in
vestigation of the Alabama legislative
election which preceded Senator Nor
CAMS last election to the Senate.
The vote Of 40 to %, by which the
Senate referred the resolution pro-
viding for the distribution of several
of the regular appropriation bills
among committees-th now all go
to the Appropriations committee-to
tions to report back on the first day
of the next session, was great COM
pliment to Senator Allison, who is
chairman of the Committee on APP
preparations. There is little doubt
that majority of the Senate would
have voted for the change had it not
been for the fear that such action by
the Senate at this time would have
been construed by some people as a
reflection upon Senator Allison.
The report of the Nicaragua Canal
Commission is not encouraging to
Congressional action on the canal; at
least, not on the lines heretofore pro-
posed. In addition to nearly doubl-
ing the estimate of the cost of its con-
struction, the report says plans must
be changed or it cannot be construct
ed at all. A majority of both branches
of Congress favors the construction
of the canal, but they are far from
agreeing as to just how it should be I
done. This will result in delaying
anything like positive action.
Delegate Catron, of New Mexico,
has received many congratulations
for the cleverness he displayed in
pushing his bill, against prize fighting
in the territories and the District of
Columbia, through the House and the
Senate without delay Or even single
adverse vote. The bill became a law
as soon a it reached Mr.. Cleveland,
who for once agreed with Congress-
There is no doubt about the leading