The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-03-26
FROM THE CAPITAL.
Our Correspondent Talks in Sage
Manner of Things in General
About Washington.
communicated
WASHINGTON, March %, 1897

WASHINGTON, March %, 1897.
Nothing more daring has been done
in the House during either of the au-
tocratic reigns of Gar Reed than the
passing in few hours of the Appro
priation bills which, failed TO become
laws at the last session of Congress,
without reference to any sort of COM
mittee and practically without debate.
Just stop and think for an instant of
the audacity of this proceeding. Here
is a new House, more than one-third
of its members being men who did not
belong TO the last House and who
knew no more about the items IN
those appropriation bills than if they
had been prepared in Africa. These
bills were brought forward and the
House was ordered TO pass them sight
unseen," as the boys used to say about
swapping concealed articles, although
they carried many millions of the peo-
pies money and it was admitted by
some of the Republicans who helped
to force them through that they con-
tanned items that were questionable to
the government as well as those that
were extravaganza. And this remark
able assumption of authority on the
part of Car Reed had not even the
excuse of urgency and lack of time to
have the bills take the course of such
measures. There will be time to waste
in the House after the 3lst of this
month, upon which date the McKin-
ley tariff bill No. 2 is to be passed. The
sole object was to keep the hands of
the House tied for the whole of the
present session, by not appointing the
regular committees, another unheard
of thing, originated by TN. gentle
man from Maine. who still kindly al
lows the members of the House to
draw their salaries and dispose of the
money without consulting him, aud
who also allowed them to vote them
selves extra mileage.
Representative "Champ" Clark, of
Missouri, made red-hot speech in
the House on the. new method of pass
ing appropriation bills, saying in part:
1.-THE longer man lives the more he
finds out. First and last, I've said
some unkind things of the United
States Senate, and poked considerable
fun at it. In the days of 1894. l was
so exasperated at its conduct that, al
though l believe in two legislative
bodies, was in favor of abolishing it.
But in this distinguished presence,
wish to retract all the criticisms have
made against it. thank God that the
Senate remains a deliberative body.
In this House we are going through
the most amazing. the most astound-
ing performance which ever took place
on this continent" Speaking directly
to the Republicans Mr.. Clark said:
I'm the campaign of last year you
charged 5,000,000 voters of this c0un-
try with being anarchists. You are
the real anarchists. What is anarchy?
IL is running the affairs Of country
without government. You are doing
just what you charged us with want
ing to do, but let me tell you, day
Of reckoning will Gomez
Mr.. Mckinley and other Republic
cans are much alarmed at the prospect
of tariff revolt in the Senate. Ii is
given out BY prominent Republican
Senators. among them being members
Of the Senate Finance Committee,
which has already taken up the sub
ject, that the Mckinley tariff bill No.
2. will not do, aud that they are going
to amend 1t SO that it cannot be recog-
nized. 1t Is, Of course, possible
that these Republican Senators are
only making bluff 10 give Mr.. Nc
Kinley an opportunity to offer them
inducements in the shape of patronage