The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1884-01-10

PENDING the contest for Speaker we
were told by the friends and supporters of
Mr.. Carlisle that he was childIike and
bland in his manner, as mild as woman,
as gentle as a lamb and as uusophisticated
as child in the ways that were dark aud
the tricks that were vain. So persistent
were his advocates that had it not been for
| the whisky extension interests that were
represented in and around every hotel in the
city, preaching about his many virtues,
we might have been persuaded into the
| belief that he was not up to the tricks of
| the ordinary politician Of the day. But
| we knew these men. We knew the reasons
| that prompted them to proclaim in season
and out of season the many statesmanlike
| qualities of the present Speaker, and we
warned Members of Congress of the
fact that it was the Whisky Ring and not
the tariff reform men who were clamoring
| for his election.
The session has not advanced far and
our warnings have been more than veri-
fled. The bill to extend the bonded period
on whisky for two years has been intro
duced and by whom By Mr.. Willis, the
recognized head of the Carlisle forces in the
contest for Speaker.
But some may say, What Of that /?
What has Carlisle to do with that ? We
will answer. Owing his election to that iu-
terest, he was compelled by all that was
honorable to so organize his committees as
to insure for that interest the greatest pos
sible strength. Did he do it2 Let the or
ganization of two Of tho committees and
the States and the whisky in bond in those
States speak for themselves.
Take first the Ways and Means Commit
tee, TO which the bill has been referred. 1t
is composed Of thirteen members, and the
States they are chosen from, as will be seen
from the report Of the Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue, are each more or less in
terested in the passage of the bill intro
duced by Mr.. Willis. For instance, there
is Illinois, which has 1,17i,0l2 gallons o
whisky in bonded warehouses Texas, g.,
$40; Georgia, 62,25i; Kentucky
52,219,174; New York, 242,47o; Alabama
$4,000; Ohio, 2,75s,s3l; Arkansas, 3,13i
Pennsylvania, s,o56,339; Iowa, l0,03S
Massachusetts,, 403,205.
The other committee to which we refer
is the Committee ON Rivers and Harbors
and we select this because Mr.. Willis was
as stated above, the leader of Mr.. Carlisle:
fight for the Speakership, and is the cham
pion Of the Whisky bill and the chairman
of this committee, and may, if he is so dis
POSED, force great many timid meu t.
vote for his Whisky bill or cut them OF
from any appropriation for river and bar
Dor purposes. But who compose the com
mittee and how much whisky is in bon
in the States they in part represent?
Mr.. Willis is the chairman and halls frol
kentucky. She has 52,2l9,l74 gallons o
whisky Then follows Alabama with 3, ,13i
West Virginia, s57,s52; Wisconsin, 1853
s52; Arkansas, 3,13l; Iowa, 1898; Cali
fornia, 2601ls; Illinois, 1,lN,012; Ohio
2759,s31; Massachusetts,, 13l,000; Net
York, 2l2,470. Rhode Island is the onl
State represented ON the committee o
either of the two committees referred t
that is not more or less interested in tn
passage of the bill introduced by Mr.. Will;
There may not be much significance i
the constitution of these committees au
then again there may be q great deal.
IT Is always gratifying to know that ma
II has not suffered by his devotion TO the publ
good. And certainly we have this satlsfactio
| In tho cases OF the counsel who nobly abal
doned their private practice IN order to brin
Brady and dorsey 10 Justice. They did NJ
bring them to justice, but that Is n detail. "
had a notion that our old friend, Colonel Ge
Bliss would not allow himself TO suffer.
AColonel Bliss has received In the two yea
I from November 8, 1881, to November o, 1873
the sum OF 20,1O7,5o, 1907 80 being for dl
bursements. the services seem to be charge
for on tho broad general principle that Il
time OF Colonel Bliss Is worth SlOO q da
I, which far be Il from us to deny. But Mr.. K'