Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-02-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
AN INTERESTING SUMMARY OF THE
POLITICAL DRIFT AT THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL

NATIONAL CAPITAL
Although it was known week
ago that the advocates of the single
gold standard were defeated, it was
not supposed that they were pre-
pared to make such an absolute
acknowledgement of defeat to the
country as to abandon all attempts
to get gold standard Legislation
through the house, which is en-
tirely dominated by Gear Reed,
who is one of the boldest of the
gold advocates. Such is the fact,
however. Nj. Reed has decided
that no financial legislation shall
be put through the house at this
session, and that all of his power
shall be used to keep appropria-
tions down and to bring about an
early adjournment. That any bill
supported by Mr.. Reed could have
been jammed through the house is
certain, and only last week Nc.
Kinley intimated in his New York
speech that financial bill would
be passed by the house. From
the beginning of the session that
has been generally understoodto be
the republican programme. Now
it has been abandoned. Why?
Because there are many congress
sional districts in which the repub-
licans are afraid to make cam
paign in favor of the gold standard
and they do not dare to commit
the party any further in that direc-
ton than the defeat of the Teller
resolution by Gar Reeds slaves
did. However, that's clear enough
for those who do not wish to be
deceived. AS Representative
Dockey, Of Mo-, remarked: "This
clears away all the fog in the
atmosphere and makes the issue
for 1898 and 1900 purely finan-
cial one. Republicans will be un-
able henceforth to separate them
selves from the cause of the single
gold standard. They are absolute
ly committed to it, and from it
next fall there can be no escape"
There have been a number of
important conferences of repres.
entatives of the three parties that
supported Bryan and silver in the
last campaign held in Washington
during the last few days, but it is
not deemed advisable to make
public what object is in view,
further than to say that it looks to
complete cooperation Of all the
silver forces in this years con-
gressional campaign. 10 60 into
detail might put the other side in
possession of more than il would
be advisable for them to know,
Representative Allen, of Miss,
("Private John Allen, of Tupelo''
has applied the we'll known
story of the negro who baked a
possum, went to sleep beside it,
and woke up to find the possum
gone, with the bones lying before
him and possum grease on his
fingers and lips, to republican talk
of prosperity. The story makes
the astonished darkey say: "Can
it be possible dat [ eat dat 'possum
while [ was asleep? 1t do look like
[ must have eat him, but so God,
dat 'possum has less effect on my
constitution dan any 'possum l
every eat befo' % Mr.. Allen says
to the republicans: "You tell us
about prosperity and show figures
that look like prosperity, but TO-
God, this prosperity has less effect
on my constitution than any pros
perity l ever had in my life.'
Senator Mason is one of the re-
publicans-there are many who is
not pleased with the do-nothing
attitude of the administration to-
ward Cuba. He says that it is in
the power of Mckinley to bring
about immediate peace on the
islands, and that if something
is not done soon he intends to
offer resolution calling upon