The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-03-10
Washington Letter.

Washington. March s, 1897.-Mr.
Mckinley is likely to be much
more interested 10 the Senate than 10
the soft speeches the army of Office
seekers are uow pouring into his ears.
if certain plans uo~ beiosg trongly
/ urged are carried out The majority
Of the Senate is composed of silver
men. but they represent three separate
parties, democrats. populists and silver.
republicans. The greediness of the
republicans in claiming the right to
change the fnascIal com plexioo of the
Committee on Finance by filing both
vacancies with gold republicans has
aroused the silver men, aud the pro-
position has beeo made that they shall
combine aud reorganize the Senate By
deposiug the republicans from the
Chairmausbips of all important Com
mittees aud by giving the silver Sena-
tors control of all Committees 10
other words. to put the legislative ma
cbinery of the Senate into the hands Of
the silver men. This proposition will
not be easy to carry into OBJECT because
of the difficulty of combining men Who
agree on nothing but silver, but i: has
frightened the republicans badly.
Senator Teller vas speaking from
personal experience, having himself
been Secretary of the Interior from
April II, 1882 to March 4tb, 1885.
when be told the Senate that MIR.
Mckinley had made serious mistake
when be dominated Cornelius N. Bliss
to be Secretary of the Interior. He
said that Mr.. Bliss was banker ADD
merchant. With an experience which
might have fitted him for the head of
some of the departments. but that, io
his opinion, the head Of the Interior
Department ought to be lawyer.
Mr.. Teller did not speak 10 spirit OF
antagouism to Mr. Bliss, nor did be
vote against his confirmation be mere
Iv called attention to what be believed
to be a mistake
As might be imagined these Sena
tors ani Representatives who are op-
posed to Czar Reeds idea of con6aiug
the legislation of the extra session of
Congress, which meets next Monday.
to the tariff bill by not appointing the
Committees of The House which would
have to act upon other bills, are not
grieving over the failure of four Of the
regular appropriation bills-The Sun.
dry civil, Agricultural, Iodian and
Deficiency. Gear Reed already has
another scheme to prevent general
legislation. It is to authorize, by joint
resolution, continuance of all Of the
regular appropriations Of the current
year until next December.
There was a more or less interesting
republican rumpus 10 Washington the
day after the Inauguration. about which
very little has been heard. A meeting
of republican clubs had been called for
that day by Col. John Bowles for the
announced purpose of adopting resolu-
tions advising the new administration
what it should do to retain the support
of these clubs Gen Woodmausee,
who is Chairman Of the Executive
Committee of the National organization
of republican Clubs and who claimed
that the individual clubs represented at
this convention could GOT properly acs
upon such resolutions as we're to be OF
fered succeeded 10 having the coaven-
ton adjourn as soon as it was called to
order. There was very warm talk
about this application of the gag, but
but the scent of the pie counter made
it mostly whispered among these inter-
ested.
Ex-senator Blackburn will attend
the extra session of the Kentucky legls.
lature that has been called to elect
Senator and will make strong fight tor
bis Own reelection, notwithstanding
the republican majority in that body.
Nobody expects the Senate to seat Maj.
Wood, , who has been appointed to the va
capcy by Gov. Bradley. aud whether
the gentlemen appointed by the Gov
errors of Florida and Oregon will iare
any better. remains to be seen.
King Hanna has got everything he
has reached for up to date, but certain
senators who think hesis DOW reaching
after too much are preparing to give
him a disappointment, aud there are
big odds in favor of their succeeding.
King Hama is reaching for place 90
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