Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-01-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jan. "a, 1898,

Car Reed has one commendable trait
frankness. When he learned that the
Committee on Territories was inclined to
favorably report bills for the admission Of
Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma, as
States, he told the members fat-footed that
it was useless for them to do so, as he did
not intend that those territories should be
admitted, SO long as he had the power to
prevent, and the present conditions con-
tinue to exist. de added that it was simply
question of gold against silver, it being
we'll known that each of the territories
named would send two silver men to the
Senate, if they had the opportunity.
The hot fight made for recognition Of
Cuba, by the Democrats of the Honse, has
frightened the whole administration out
fit very badly. The fake news of Spanish
successes in Cuba also indicate that the
fright has extended to the Spaniards. The
Fighting isn't over yet. Representative
Bailey proved on the floor of the House
that the efforts of the Democrats were
thwarted for the time, only by breach OF
faith on the part OF Gar Reed ana Mr.
Hit.
Senator White. of Cal, who is leading the
fight against the ratification of the annex
alton treaty, is so confident that the treaty
cannot be ratified that he proposed to
Senator Davis, who has charge of the
treaty, that a day be set for taking the
vote, and the proposition was declined
That little incident tells the story of the
situation as well as it could be done in a
column of space.
The refusal of the House Committee on
Banking and Currency, which has been
holding daily sessions in order to hear
everything that Secretary Gage, members
of the monetary conference, and other
ad yocates of the single gold standard, might
have to present in the shape of gold
argument, to grant hearings to representa-
tives of the American Bimetallic Union,
was an unprecedented and an uncalled for
insult. The Executive Committee OF the
American Bimetallic Union sent very
manly and dignifed protest to the Com
mittee, closing with the following appeal to
the love of fair play that every properly
constituted American has :" So lar as we
are aware, this is the first time in matter
of SO much Importance, great Congress
ional Committee engaged In giving hear
ings on proposition before it, has refused
to accord a full and fair hesring to both
sides"
In marked cont asst to the action of the
House Banking and Currency Committee
was that of the silver Senators, whose ma
jority gives them the power to prolong the
financial debate in the Senate, as long as
they might wish to do SO, on the Teller
resolution, declaring U. S. bonds to be
payable in silver at the option of the gov
eminent. They merely desired to adopt
that resolution, as a notice to the gold
standard administration that gold standard
legislation is an impossibility during the
life of the present Congress, and to put
certain Senators on record for the benefit
of their constituents, and in order to show
that they had no desire to unnecessarily
prolong the financial debate, Senator Vest
who has charge of the resolution, submitted
an agreement that the vote be taken on
Thursday of this week, which was adopted.
The adoption of the resolution by the Sen
ate is a certainty the House will of course,
in defersnce to Gar Reed allow it to be
pigeon-holed.
The Republicans who started out to
throw down some of the bars to the Federal
offices, are up against a snag in the shape OF
the inability of the House Civil Service
Committee to agree upon bill. To con-
ceal this difficulty and to gain time, the
Committee has started an indefinite series
of hearings, such as the Senate Committee
has been conducting off and on for months.
1t will be lamentable if Mr.. Mckinley
allows the scheming Republican politicians
to dictate the successor 10 Hon. Ben. Butter
worth, late Commissioner of Patents, whose
funeral last week, drew together so many
sorrowfnl public men, regardless of poll
tics Mr.. Butterworth did the country a
great and valuable service in reforming
abuses in the practice before the Patent
Office, and he was ably assisted in that
work by Hon. A. P Greeley, Acting Com
missioner of Patents. Mr.. Mckinley
could not show his sympathy with the re-
form work done by Mr.. Butterworth in a
more practical way than by making Mr..
Greeley Commissioner of Patents.
The election of Senator White, of Cali
fornia, to he Chairman of the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee, and
the adoption of strong resolution, endors-
ing the Chicago platform, ended the career
of numerous very foolish fairy tales.