The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-01-12
R. BEAUM0NT'S LETTER
An Interesting Report From Wash.
inwtOn-HOw congressman Are
Muxzled I'm the Interest of
the Money Power.
The VAST Proportions of the Pension
Claim-Ten Dollars Tax Each
Family.


Gratis. are grinding again here at the
capital. The same buHdozing tactics on
the part Of Reed which characterized
the special session are again 20 be put
into practice. The rules of the house
appoint committees. to consider special
matters, but that counts for nothing
with the party leader. That portion of
the presidents message referring to
finance, outside Of that in relation to
coinage by the rules OF the house. be-
longs to the committee ON banking and
currency. But on the assembling Of the
house on the second day Of December,
Mr.. Dingley, the chairman of the COM
m1ttee on ways and means, moves
that that portion Of the presidents
message referring to finance be referred
to- his committee. This at once bro lght
sets, the chairman Of the committee
on banking and currency, who is not
the kind Of a man to submit to a
snub without a protest. And for few
moments it looked as though there were
chances of break being made in the
Republican party early in the session.
And Dingley had to come down and do
a little compromising in order to
strengthen the matter out. But, how
ever, it means that the recommends
lions OF the secretary of the treasury
are to be considered by the finance and
not the banking and currency commit
tee, this means that the speaker is go
ing to take the bit in his teeth the same
as he did on the tariff bill, and that
debate is to be smOthered on the money
question. 1t means that any committee
81 congress that has been appointed
goes for naught. 1t means that when
ever the administration desires to push
any measure through it is going to be
done regardless of any thoughts the
members Of congress may have upon It.
In order that the readers of the Rep
resentative may fully understand what
this means, let me here say that under
the rules of the house, as now consti-
tuted, the members OF the committee
reporting bill have precedence in de-
bate when that committee has a bill un
der consideration. For instance. when
the committee on ways and means
brings in bill recommending the views
OF the secretary of the treasury. The
moment that the bill is called from the
calendar the Democratic leaders will
oppose 1t and demand time for debate.
This wrangle between Mr.. Dingley, the
chairman of the ways and means COM
mittee, and the leader on the Demo-
cratic side. may last two or three hours:
the Democrat contending for long de-
bate and the Republican for a short de-
bate. And they may compromise In
four days, the same as was done on the
Dingley bill in the last session. Then
the members OF the. ways and means
committee have precedence, That Is.
no other member of the house can
speak on the bill until the thirteen
members of the committee on ways and
means have spoken. And il the debate
Is limited it may debar speeches of anv
one but members of that committee The
members Of the committee on the bank
Ing and currency committee, who are
supposed to have been selected on ac-
count of their fitness on this subject will
be ignored, and the debate thrown into
the hands of committee who may
know but little about finance
And | want to say that there is meth
Cd in this madness, as the money power
want but little said on their side. as it
means instant exposure Of the weakness
OF their position and the money ques-
ton. During the special session when
jerry Simpson was jabbing Speaker
Reed to get him to appoint the commit
tee, he gave as an excuse that he wanted
time to acquaint himself with the fitness
OF the members for their knowledge on
the matter that would come before the
respective committees. And now hay-
Ing selected a committee on banking
and currency on account of their fitness,
he takes the first opportunity to snub
them by referring their measure to
committee selected for their fitness to
consider measures Of another kind But
the dear little fellows will submit to
the insult in the interest of party har-
mony and discipline. But then are they
not the creatures Of the machine. And
are they not there to do it's bidding?
Did 1t not make them and will It not IN
make them In case they do not obey 1t?
So far this session a great deal is
being said in respect to the necessity of
economy. Why not commence by dis
posing OF unnecessary members? II no
one but the ways and means committee
10 to be heard at the present session.
what Is the matter with sending the
balance home? The lawyers could put
In their time serving their other clients,
the corporations. And if that class was
weeded out Of the body there would not
be much left.
Then there is another chicken that
learns to come home to roost in the
Republican hen-roost. It is the pension
question. AS long as there was a sur
plus In the treasury it was all right.
But now that there is an increasing def