The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1876-04-15

ject of concern with US Reciprocity-will be read
with interest.
WASHINGTON, L. c. March 4th, 1876.
The mail by which this. reaches you will probably
take news of the success or failure of our Treaty in
the House, and matters of incident leading to the
result will be then of little consequence, but now
they are indications watched with anxious interest
by Hawaiians in the United States, and 1 note them
as they pass. The Treaty has, in the Ways and
Means Committee, seven in favor to four opposed,
and on Thursday last majority and minority reports
on the bill embodying the needed tariff modification
were submitted to the House, and on the part of the
majority, Mr.. Fernando Wood made an able argu-
ment, or rather commenced it. I regret I was too
late to hear this, arriving here the evening of that
day. Our business was interrupted by a matter of
transcendent interest here, the public announcement
of the corruption and bribery of the secretary of war
your papers will be full of accounts of The great
scandal, and will not undertake to report it, men,
tioning it only as connected with our great interest.
1t is unfortunate for US. 1t has sent of several of
our best friends and most influential members to
their own States, where elections are pending, and
where the Republican party needs the presence and
most strenuous efforts of its best men to courteract
the overwhelming damage of this revelation of fraud
in the highest circles of the party. As it weakens
the administration and strengthens the opposition, it
makes 1t more difficult to carry through any admins
tration matter, and our affair is such. l attended
the House to-day, Saturday. After reading the journal
some three quarters of an hour long, the speaker
announced the order of the day to be the considera-
ton of the Hawaiian Treaty bill in Committee Of the
whole.
l had not been aware of this, and considered my
self fortunate in an opportunity to hear the debate.
Mr.. Wood Immediately moved an adjournment, sta
ting as his reason that he himself had the floor since
Thursday and he did not wish to continue his argu-
ment before q thin Saturday house, as he spoke, not
for buncombe, not to have his speech printed, not
for posterity Caugh) but to convince members of the
House and get their votes. The motion TO adjourn
was afterwards withdrawn, Mr.. Wood to have his
privilege Of the floor subsequently; mean time other
members to speak on that subject, or indeed, on any
other.
Mr.. Reagan of Texas then addressed the House, in
opposition to the Treaty bill. 1 noted some of the
points, and will give them as showing the style Of
opposition We encOunter-and you will probably not
see a report elsewhere of this Texans views.
He said, it was conceded that there would be q
direct loss of revenue of some four hundred thou
sand a year, but it was claimed we should be COM
in part by securing the carrying trade.
That was not much anyway-we had it already, and
here was nothing in the treaty specially favoring
American shipping.
As to its influence in Americanising the Islands,
'r 6 the island - as he expressed himself, American
planters there will consult their own interests in in
laborers. They will be Asiatics, and not
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