The Press., 1896-02-06
Washington Letter.
Washington, Feb. 3, 1896.

Washington, FeD. $, 1o96
 Well, the silver men have by the deci- sive vote of 42 to 35 demonstrated their ability to control the senate and pass the free coinage substitute for the House bond bill, as everybody knew they would. The record shows that fifteen republicans voted for free coinage and twelve demo- ca ts against it. In view of the attempt that is to be made to amend the house tariff bill with a freetfnage ridetJ this vote becomes an interesting study. Will the twelve democratic senators who voted against the free coinage substitute for the bond bill also vote against the proposed free coinage amendment to the tariff bill, l which the most of them, as party men, are anxious to defeat? And will the fif- teen republicans who voted for the free coinage substitute, because their cOnstit- uents favor free silver, vote for the free coinage amendment to the tariff bill, which they, as party men, want to pass !? If the democrats who voted against, and theEepublicans who voted for the silver Substitute vote the same way on the silver amendment to the tariff bill, what will be the result? Surely these three questions ought to furnish the lovers of legislative puzzles all the occupation they wish for a few days.
 The answers to the above questions generally given by those best informed, including men of all, parties, silver and anti-silver men, is that the vote will be different on the silver amendment to the tariff bill. It is believed that the twelve democrats who voted against the silver substitute will also vote against the silver amendment, and that enough of the fifteen republicans who voted for the silver sub- stitute will vote against it to defeat it, be- cause they regard their votes on the first as sufficient for record, and are anxious, as matter of party policy to. have the; senate send the tariff bill to the president; just as it passed the house. If the bill is to oe vetoed, and as a rule the republicans believe and hope that it will be, they do, not wish the president to have the free silver amendment as an excuse for his veto. They wish to put him on record as refusing the $4O,OOO,OOO annual incr ease in the revenues that congress will offer him in the tariff bill.
 It is for the pOpulist senators to say whether MT. Dupont shall take his seat as senator from Delaware the democrats and republicans having drawn the party line on the report from the election com mittee, which favors MT. Dupont. AL though none of the populist senators have authorized any statement of how they will vote, the impression prevails that enough of them will support the report to seat MT. Dupont.
 Humbuggery and absolute se1fishness have got a strong foothold in the senate. A coterie of the oldest senators are out for anything in sight, and they are never at a loss for high-toned argument against any change that threatens to de- prive them of their possessions. An in- staDce of this was given when several of the republican members of this coterie announced that it would be undignified for the senate to show an inclination to grab political spells, and that they were therefore opposed to making change, in the offices of sergeant-at-arms and secre- tary of the senate, but in favor of electing president prO-tem, None of the pOpq- lists have been in the senate long enough to get admitted to this coterie, but they lyn 4o and that it would be to their interests to. have change in all the senate offices, so they informed the republicans that they must change all or none. The se- cret of the position of these republican senators is that they have more of their friends in office under the democratic sec retary and sergeant-at. arms than they can possibly keep in if new men are put that becoming a senator does not change a mans nature l. ,>-s.
 At first glance it seemed that the Cuban resolution reported from the senate con- mittee on foreign relations was a good thing for the revolutionists, and ought to be pushed along by the friends of free Cuba, but when all that mass of verbiage which makes up the resolution is care fully gone over it's goodness for the Gu bans, or for anybody else, is not apparent to ordinary eyes. In fact, it looks very much as if the gentlemen who voted to get that resolution before the senate were merely after gaining time and getting a let up on the pressure which has been brought to bear upon them by those who believe it is the duty of this government to recognize the Cubans as be1ligerents
 Senator Jones, of Ark, is one of the few members of the senate willing to be quoted as endorsing the sentiments ex-1 pressed by Senator 'Tillmon, aof South Carolina, in his terrible and terrifying arraigntnent of the administration and itsI gold policy. MT. Jones said .,!''Tillman may be an anarchist and a crank, and in some papers 1 see he is characterized as a fool, but he represents more people than are dreamed of,aandi lwsp9tFill hear from them before long, if not, as hope, in the ballot, then otherwise, to our everlasting sorrow."
 Born.
 Spencer, Mass, Jan. 29th, daughter to Frank s. and Mary c. Miller.