The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-15
Gossip at
the Capital
Special Correspondence of The Tribune.

Special Correspondence of The Tribune.
Washington, June II.
The marrow is being taken from the
backbone cf the Democratic party, in
the opinion of many of the old line lead
ers in congress. They are greatly dis
couraged by the desertions from their
ranks which have taken place since the
tariff discussion began in tho senate,
and they tremble for the future of their
iSrty. For generations the Democratic
party has stood for free trade. Within
the last few days three strong Democrat
ic states have deserted the free trade
ranks and gone over to She party of pro-
lection; namely, South Carolina, Georgia
and Louisiana. Tillman, of South Caro-
lima; Baker and Clay, of Georgia; Nc
Emery, of Louisiana, and Rawlins, of
Utah, have come out squarely and fatty
for the protection of local interests. The
significance of this move is more keenly
understood by the old-time Democratic
leaders than by the country at large,
and they confess to sense of discour-
agement akin to hopelessness fer the fu-
ture of their party. Senator Vest, who,
with Senator Jones, of Arkansas, leads
the opposition in the senate, confessed to
a Republican colleague, after one of the
protection Democrats voted, that he was
about ready to give up the fight. He
said: 81 am about ready to Let you fell
one side. l do not care a continental
what kind of a bill YOU pass, and if it
were not for my sense of duty to my
party i would throw up my hands and
make no further opposition to your pro-
gramme. A lot of our people are quit
ters,' and have abandoned the time-hon-
ored principles of Democracy on the tar
iff issue. They leave us nothing to fight
for upon which the party can hope to be
united"
AS If to emphasize the view taken by
Senator Vest a large number of DEM
ocratic papers throughout the South, in
districts where there is Industrial de-
velopment, have taken strong protec-
tion grounds of late and are coming out
unqualiiedly in favor of the American
idea of protection. They see that in this
they are Voicing the popular side of the
question, and are advancing in mate
rial way their own localities. All of this
is very discouraging to the Democrats,
who look beyond the settlement of the
free silver issue, and plan for the per-
petuation of their organization.
The political play in Ohio IS arousing
the livelest kind Of interest among poll
ticians in the national capital. The an
nouncement by ex-Congressman Sorg,
the millionaire tobacconist, of his candi-
riously construed. In some quarters 1T
| is held he is merely a stalking horse for
John r.. Mclean, but the inside construc-
| tion placed upon the move is that he rep
resents an irreconcilable opposition to the
pretentions Of theCincinnati editor, who
lives in Washington. There is a deep
| seated conviction that Brice and John
| son and the hard money Democratic in
| fluences Ohio will combine on Sorg and
/ elect as many members of the legislature
pledged to him as they can on a platform
of anything to beat Mclean" Should
| the Ohio legislature be Democratic and
the Sorg contingent have hold of the bal
ance of power the defeat of Mclean may
| be regarded as practically assured 1t
may not be possible to elect Sorg, but
some man acceptable to the Mclean op-
position and to the Republicans will be
| selected. 1t may be remarked in this
connection, however, that the probabili-
ties are that this deep sea Democratic
plotting will amount to nothing and that
the Republicans will have a clear major
| ity over the combined opposition.
| A good story IS told at the expense Of
| ex-senator Joe Blackburn, of Kentucky
| The late Senator Beck, OF that state
was the author of II. Several years ago
| a desperate was to be hanged in the dis
| trict where Blackburn was running for
congress, and Joe was among the spec
| tators. When the sheriff asked the con-
| demned man il he would like TO make
any remarks" the offer was sullenly
| declined.
Blackburn called out: my friend, If
you don't mind, I'd like to have your
time just to tell these good people here
l am "a candidate for congress in this dis
trict, and / would like to give some rea-
sons why they would do wel to vote for
| me-"
"Who is that feller?" the prisoner
asked of the sheriff.
| "rhatS BlaokbuTn-Joe Blackburn"
"Well, let him have my time; let him
have all OF it. But II Joe Blackburn is
going to speak. hang me first and let
him talk afterward."
| Very few people who visit Washington,
for the first time particularly, do not go
to the top of the Washington monument.
Very few, however, walk up the winding
staircase of this massive pie OF granite.
The large majority take the elevator.
| Those who use the staircase see far more