The south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1879-1883, 1883-03-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.

felt that no change in the tariff was
likely to take place at the present ses-
sion unless through the action of that
body. Two weeks since the senate
took up the bill which it has been de-
batting for months in the committee
of the whole, and it was announced
that rapid work would be made with
1t. The discussion in committee had
been very thorough, and in many
respects more liberal bill had been
secured than was reported by the fl
nance committee. There was a gen.
eral impression that the senate, Yield
ing to the pronounced and extensive
public demand, was willing TO make
at least a commencement of substan-
tial reform in the fiscal system which
now weighs SO heavily on the indus
tries and commerce of the country.
But when the bill came out of the
committee of the whole it was taken
in hand by another committee, not
known to the constitution or the
laws, not appointed by the senate,
not responsible to the people, and yet
more influential than the peoples
representatives, more powerful, for
the time being, than the people them
selves. This committee consisted of
the lobby Of the favored manufacture
-ers, and particularly of the iron and
steel interests. They were not salts
fled with the bill. They gave orders
that 1t should not be passed unless it
could be changed to suit them. I'm
der their direction senators from var
ious parts Of the union resisted the
bill, and proposed its modification,
and two weeks have been consumed
in satisfying the representatives of
private interests, while the great
body of the people have waited, i'm
patient at the delay, which threatened
the continuance of their burdens for
another year. Finally the bill has
passed, what there is left of it, and
we are still at sea concerning what
the house will do with it.
There is every likelihood that the
new senate will have session i'm
mediately after the adjournment of
the present Congress. What beau
tifll array Of senator's the far west
now produces. Bowen, for example,
and Tabor and Miller and Senator
elect Sabin and few others. 1t has
been suggested for some time that
senatorial honors could not alight so
persistently ON the heads of million
aires without few taps from the bar
rel, but Senator-elect Sabin will take
his scat under the firm conviction in
the minds Of his seventy seven broth
er senator's that he got there by selling
ont to Mr.. Mark II. Dunnell. Mr..
Dunnell is afflicted with a vaulting
ambition that habitually o'erlcaps it.
self; he wanted to be speaker-an
Office for which he possesses but one
single qualification, and that is a
voice ike fog horn when he is ex-
cited, and way of tapping his arms
against bis sides like chanticleer
for long, loud and volu-
minous crow. Now, Mr.. Dunnell
longed with an intense longing for
Mr.. Windom's shoes, and more than
all he did not want to see Mr.. Win
dom back in the Senate, so he looked
around and saw that he could proba-
bly, strike a bargain with Mr.. Sabin.
Before the election came OF Mr..
Windows friends in Washington got
panickyI and wanted him to go to
himself, but he counted on Mr.. Sabin.
1t svery well known that a good
deal Of money was used in the fight
against Mr.. Window out there, and
everybody knows that Mr.. Dunnell
didn't have any money to use-never-
theless, the thing for Mr.. Sabin was
decided by ten or twelve of the
strongest Dunnell men going over in
a body. So people put two and two
together and saw through the artless
Dunnell and the transparent Sabin.
Now, is not that nice way to come
before the United States Senate ?
One thing is certain. Palace build
ing by cabinet officers and senator's
is at an end in Washington. 1t has
not been scotched, but killed out
right and buried, and the grave
stone marked with the names Of
Blaine, Robesoh and Window, with
room for Don Camerons to come.
Senator Miller, the California million
aire, lives in q fine house which he
does not own, and with such a me
mento mort before him as Mr.. Win
dom's house, and such a Virgins
like disappointment as Mr.. Blaine's
house behind him, he will hardly be
beguiled into the fascinating pastime
ofpalace building.
Another young man has turned up
with scheme for receiving and re-
cording the votes of Congress by the
aid of electricity. His name is Enos
and he comes from Peabody, Mass.
wonder how many inventors have
tried their hands at solving this in
tcresting problem? This last invcn-
tion is quite perfect in its theory. and
if senators and members were so