The Press., 1896-02-13
Washington Letter.
Washington, Fe

Washington, Feb. 3, 1896.
 "There will be no financial legislation at this session of Congress-" That pre- diction is now heard on all sides, and the surface indications point to it's correctness. It is claimed by silver men that sixteen republican senators have bound them selves in writing to vote for no bill ln- creasing the tariff that does not carry an amendment providing for the free coinage of silver at 16 to 1. If that claim be cor rect the Senate is merely waisting time with the House tariff bill. Last week the Finance committee reported the same free coinage substitute for the tariff bill that the House is about to refuse to accept as a substitute for the House bond bill, but as I write an attempt is being made in the Senate to send the bill back to the Finance though it is not easy to see how that is going to change the status of things.
 It is expected that enough of the pOpu- list senators will vote with the republicans
 
 the republican caucus, but there seems to be fear on the part of the republicans that some of their own senators will block the game by not voting.
 The debate on Senator HansbrOugh's resolution, directing the Secretary of Agriculture to buy and distribute the seeds for which a Congressional apprO- priation has been made, has brought out some breezy speeches. The bitterest at- tacks upon Secretary Morton have come from senators of his own party and the bitterest of them all was made by Senator Vest, of Missouri, in a speech that will not be forgotten for long time. His word picture of Secretary Morton swinging a golden censor filled with incense at the Executive mansion and shouting, "Holy, Holy, art thou, oh Grover, King of Kings and Lord of Lorde,'' was a masterpiece of it's kind, although most people will admit that it wasn't good kind of picture to be exhibited in the Senate chamber.
 Senator Allison is candidate for the Presidential nomination of his party, and he is also chairman o{ a caucus commit tee appointed to consba75r and report upon proposition, fathered by Senator Hoar, that messenger be provided for each Senator. There may be no direct connec- tion between these two things, but it is not improbable that the Senator's Presi- dential aspirations will, whatever his per- sonal inclination, have tendency to pre- vent his favoring this proposed extrava- gance on the part of the Senate.
 A week ago it looked like the fight made by the younger members of the Senate, led by Dubois on the republican side, Hill on the dimOcratic side, and sup ported by all the populists, for a distribu- tion of the appropriations among the committees instead of putting them all ill the hands of the committee on ApprO- priations, was bound to win, but it didn't. By vote of 40 to 28 it was killed, by re- ferring the resolution providing for the change to the Committee on Rules, with instructions to report it back to the Senate on the first Monday in next December. The result of this fight is believed to have practically made it certain that the fight for change in the Senate rules will also be unsuccessful.
 The report of the Nicaragua Canal Commission, which was transmitted to Congress without Presidential comment has killed any chances that might have existed to get bill through Congress guaranteeing bonds of the Canal Company The report estimates that the cost of the canal will be almost double what the Company has claimed that it would be and says that radical changes must be made in the plans to build it at any price What Congress will do is problematical but the report makes it certain that it will go slow in whatever it does. If the Cana Company was less greedy there would be a chance to put through bill buying its franchise for the U. s. Government, but those who are representing the Company will not be satisfied unless they can get out dollars for the cents they have actual ly put into the enterprise.
 | Congress made short work of passing the bill prohibiting prize fighting in the territories and the District SSof Columbia and President Cleveland made even short CT work of fattaching his signature thereto What pity they cannot agree as well about some other needed legislation.
 Senator Allen, of Nebraska, can make fiowery speeches with the best of them In speech in favor of the Monroe doc. Urine, but deprecating war, he said if wal does come: "Then for every Grant there will be Lee for every Sherman, a Johns. ton for every Thomas, 8 Jackson; fol every Sheridan, Stuart, and Mason and Dixon's line will be plotted from the map of the United States and true Ameri cans, North and South, welded by the blood of the revolution, the war of 181S and the war with Mexico, renewed by the arrangement of 1861, as lovers renew and intensity their affection by arrangement