Show OUR washington LETTER washington D C feb 17 Is the victorious io party on the eve of disruption democrats of national prominence iff congress privately express the belief that it is and predict that long before the end of tho administration to begin next month the separation between alie wings will be open and final the principal cause of this belief is the wide gulf eliat exists between mr cleveland and alio southern and west em democrats on the silver question a gulf which abo failure of mr cleveland to force the repeal by congress of tho present silver law has widened and made apparently impassable notice hie been publicly served on mr cleveland by representative bland the leader of the silver democrats in the house that further attempts along this line would bring about a withdrawal of the silver men from alio party the force of mr character is so well known here that alie general opinion is eliat he will continue his fight against silver by calling an early extra session of the congress unless convinced that a bill for abo repeal of the silver law would bo voted down in either the house or senate in that case he would postpone calling an extra session until ho had converted a sufficient number to carry hia point the selection of J audgo walter Q gresham as the head of ane cabinet Is accepted hero as an accomplished fact will also be a factor in bringing about a split in the democratic party As a rule the democrats in congress decline to publicly discuss this selection but privately they are showing their anger and disappointment the feeling among them may be judged by tho fact eliat senator german who ia ordinarily the most indifferent of men to newspaper stories printed of him took special pains to go around among abo washington correspondents and contradict the published rumor that been selected on his advice with the natural shrewdness of the tactful political wire puller german lost no time in disavowing his responsibility for graeham Groe ham he had seen and noted alie effect of alie announcement no of his ee lection upon his party associates in congress senator hill has been quietly sounding tho democratic senators to ascertain haw many of them are willing to carry their opposition to gresham to the extent of voting against hia confirmation as a member of the cabinet if ho can secure the pledges of a sufficient number of senators to defeat alio confirmation he proposes to do it although it would be something never before attempt edas it haa been considered ono of the unwritten laws of the senate to confirm cabinet nominations without question pressure is being brought to bear to have seargent at arms yoder of the house made commissioner of pensions if the scheme of transferring that bureau to tho war department and suspending the pension of all widows married since 1870 of all men having an income in excess of tt year and except for total incapacity of all alien non fails it will the corn is merely to be used as a stepping stone to the democratic nomination for governor of ohio the claim is made by codere friends that his connection with alie C V V will enable him to get the votee of a sufficient number of old heretofore republicans to anchor ohio permanently in the column the house committee on ways alq means is on a wild goose chase after a silly newspaper rumor alleging eliat secretary beeter had agreed to sell 50 worth of bonds to a syndicate of new york bankers for gold there is not a word of truth in the rumor secretary foster lias 4 no agreement to sell and hae no intention of making such an agreement and he has no idea atiat the financial situation will be such during this as to cause him to even take such a step into serious consideration confide ration Beside sit is well known to who enjoy the prebi denta confidence that lio would not permit an of bond the democrats in the house attempted to railroad the proposed radical changes in the pension laws through alio house without debate but they were hauled up short by alio republicans who old them they would filibuster until the end of the session if the fullest debate vcr not allowed the debate will go on this week it is really amusing to ear the democrats with their big majority in the house plead alio baby act and try to charge the republicans with alie responsibility lity ajr defeating mr cleveland Clev elaud s wishes |