Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-12-02
WASHTINGON LETTER.
lTrom Our Regular corrsspondsasl
WASHINGTON. Nov. seth. 1897.


President Mckinley has completed
the flrst draft of his annual message
to Congress, and to-day II was read
at the Cabinet meeting, and every
recommendation 1t contains was
unanimously approved, a. IL will be by
the republican party at large. when
1t 10 made public.
Some effort has been made BY the
Democrats TO give the public the i'm
preston that differences existed
between the President and Secretary
Gage as to the financial legislation
that should be recommended 70 Con-
Rress, but It can be stated on the
highest authority that all such
stories are purely immaginsry. The
President and his secretery Of the
Treasury, and In fact his entire Cab
met. are Of one mind on this sub
ject, and President Mckinley be-
lieves in the possibility Of securing
financial legislation at this session
of Congress, perhaps not all that will
be asked for, but something In the
line Of strengthening acknowledged
defects In our present financial
system.
Such veterans In the Congressional
arena as Senator Burrows of Mich
igan, and Representative Dalzell of
Pennsylvania, are not carried away
by the prophecies of this being a
short session of Congress, made by
men OF less experience. They rec
ognize that a number of subjects
certain to be taken up, especially
finance, will consume much time In
debate, whether anything is accom-
plished or not. and consequently
they expect the session to be well up
to the average In length of the long
sessions of Congress. Senator Bur-
rows places the date of adjournment
in they neighborhood of August 1st,
1898.
It has been taken for granted that
any bill carrying out President Nc
Kinley's financial recommendation
would receive the support of the gold
democratic Senator'S, and possibly of
several other democratic Senators,
who supported Bryan and the Chi
cago platform last year, because they
we're party men, and not because OF
any sympathy they had with either,
and who are believed to be favorable
to legislation that would result In
removing the silver question as a ma
tional issue. The latter class Of DEM
ocrats, IL there really be such, could
not be expected to announce any
such intention; with four-tifths OF
their party shouting for free silver,
it would be political suicide for them
to do so. With the gold-democratic
Senators 1t Is different, as they are
already out of the democratic party;
therefore no hesitation was felt in
asking Senator Lindsay, Of Kentucky,
the first one of them to arrive in
Washington, what, ifany. policy they
would have as to financial legislation
at the coming session of Congress.
He replied: "We have had no con-
ference among ourselves, and there
fore have not agreed upon anv policy.
II the Republicans have any policy
as to the line of action, / have not
been informed what It is Hence,
i am not In a position to give the
desired information. I may say how
ever, that l think the country still
wants currency reform, and / believe
that IL the Republicans would agree
among themselves, II would be pos
sible for them to accomplish that
end"
State Senator Voorhees,, of New
Jersey, is visiting Washington. He
said the Republicans of New Jersey
feel very good over the situation in
the state. We have the state safely
In the Republican fold, though it
was once considered nominally dem
ocratic, and we feel con ndent that
we will send Republican 10 Senator
Smiths place when his term expires.
Senator Smith will be a candidate to
succeed himself, and although he is
wealthy and shrewed politician we
have no fear of his winning out"
Senator Foraker was in Washing
ton this week, but he declined to
discuss the political situation in
Ohio, as he had nothing to add to
what he said several weeks ago, that
with him the campaign ended on
election day. He doesn't seem q bit
worried over the misrepresen tation
concerning his position which have
been such a conspicuous feature of
the democratic newspapers for some
weeks past.
At the special election in Chicago,