Mohave County miner., 1888-03-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.

lsRoM OUR REouLAR coRaEsPoNpgsr.)
WASHINGTON, March 5, 1888.
The most interesting event at the Cap
itni during tho week was the advent Of
the long looked for tariff bill formulated
by the Democratic majority Of the Ways
and Means Committee. It was In q &C.
cluded room Of the Treasury Department
that the bill took It's shape. Much night
work extending through many weeks has
been expended upon It and room In the
Treasury was selected because OF its. sc-
feasibility TO most OF the members Of the
Committee, whose hotels are nearer to
that building than to the Capitol.
Comments upon the measure varied
according TO their source. The Republi.
cans. for the most part, say: THE Mills
tariff hill stands no more show Of passing
in it's present shape than did the Morrison
bill IN the Forty.ninth Congress. The
low tariff Democrats cay IL will receive
the support o. their party.
But the, csnnot speak positively az TO
this. There IL sure to be friction in the
Democratic party over the proposition TO
put wool on the free list, and the sugar
item 10 another element OF discord. Tie
wool men and the sugar men are greatly
dissatisfied with the condition in which
they find these items in tho bill, and
party line 10 sure to he broken on these
questions. Still it is by no means assured
that those who are dissatisfied by the
treatment Of these industries would vote
against the bill when brought 70 6nsl
action because these items were still
retained
II 10 said that the bill has the unqnali-
fed approval Of the President and the
secret'y Of the Treasury, and the key to
the situation lies in the hands OF = small
minority Of either party.
One criticism Of the bill which came
particularly from Senators and Repressn-
tatives of tohacco growing States was that
II omitted internal revenue relief. To
this the Committee replied that they now
expect TO &c to work and frame an inter.
nal revenue reduction bill and report it to
the House very soon. They deem it pru.
dent to keep the questions apart this
time.
And now that the Hght has fairly begun
We expect q lively time on Capitol Hill
from this time on. Tariff talk and tariff
speeches and tariff debates will follow
each other INCREASINGLY, and tariff lectur-
era will delugs the country from now
until the end OF the Presidential campaign.
A sensible thing has just been done by
the House Committee On Invalid PEN
sions. II has authorized favorable re-
port on Mr.. Matson's bill to provide that
the pension money Of any pensioner who
Is In the habit Of getting intoxicated and
who neglects to support those lawfully
dependent upon him, shall bs paid TO the
wife OF such pensioner, If she DO proper
person 10 receive il, or to a legally quail
fed guardian.
1t looks as II tho people Of tho District
Of Columbia would DO given an opportu.
nifty to decide by their own votes the
liquor question, which petitioners from
oil over the country have been trying to
decide for them, that is, whether they
shall have prohibitory law, high license
Law, or no change In the law at all. At
least the Senate District Committee took
Q step In that direction on Wednesday,
when it killed the Plstt Prohibition bill.
1t 10 proposed to substitute local option
measure in it's stead, submitting tha
whole lfqnor question to direct vote Of
the people Of the District Of Columbia.
Tho temperance people Of the District
have never really expected any better
fate for their bill. aud are delighted that
they have succeeded in putting the Re-
publican party equally on record a. op-
posed 20 prohibition, 20 that no prohi-
bitionists shall ever hereafter have any
excuse for remaining in the Republican
party.
There was little opposition to the rsso-
: luton passed by ths Senate requesting
tie President to negotiate with the En-
peror Of China treaty providing that no
Chinese laborsrs shall enter the United
States, except to point out the useless
ness Of such a treaty, unless treaties to
the same effect ware made With England.
France and Mexico. Senator Call, Of
Flohds. criticised the resolution - . do.
clarstion that the world vas made wrong,
and that tho four hundred million Chinese
ought not 10 be In It.
As regards the progress Of the proposed
Washington Exposition In the spring Of
1889, commemorative Of the centennial Of
tho adoption OF tho Constitution OF the
United States. will inst mention that
the Henats Select Committee have taken
favorable action upon the bill.
The Grain resolution also, proposdng
Constitutional amendments changing the
time for the commencement Of the Presi-
Dental term and changing the date for
/ the annual meeting Of Congress, has
besn fsvorsbly reported 10 the House.
must nots q new departure. In the
| line Of svangslizing tho wicked city Of
I Washington. some Of the good women
~-oSL~~s bsva aaruys1 TIA OaA ~ khs