The Portland daily press., 1888-02-13
THE RATIONAL CAPITAL.
Matters to Which the Law Makers
are DevotIng Attention.
A Contested Election Case From the
State of Alabama.
Foreign Affairs, a Question of Lard
and other Matters.
Especial to the Press.l


WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.-The coming week
promises to be more lively than any yet, but
that is faying little The third election con-
test, that of McDuffee VS.. Davidson, will
probably help enliven things. The case is
one of the Alabama fights and inasmuch as
the Republicans claim McDuffee was elect
ed by 5000, and the Democrats Davidson by
5000, it can be seen pretty clearly in what
way the debate runs. No vote has been taken
on the case yet, but it is within the range of
possibilities that an investigating committee
will be sent South to look up the real state of
the case during the election. The Demo-
cratic members are somewhat surprised at
the way their fellow members in the House
broke away from them ON the vote in the
case of Lowry VS.. White and will proceed
more cautiously in this event.
Foreign Affairs.
The House fixed couple of days for the
foreign affairs committee and will have inter-
national projects of various sorts showered
upon it. The committee is certainly better
one than it was last year. 1t works better
with Belmont and will probably accomplish
more. What it wants Of the House now is to
get some appropriation for sending goods TO
the French exposition. 1t also has under con-
sideration the International maritime confer
ence bill, which is in the hands OF the com
merce committee in the Senate, and is as fay-
orable to the measure as is the other body
But this is a curious example of the differ
ence In treatment of the same subject In the
two branches. The bill is one Tor consul
tation OF all nations, to be held in October,
to adopt schemes of signals, lights, ETC. Id
the Senate it was held to touch ship interests
most closely, and was given to Mr.. Frye S
committee for attention. In the House the
strongly, and Belmont's committee men are
in charge of it,
AQuestion of Lard.
The most interesting fight to manufact-
urers in Congress just now, while they are
all waiting to see what the tariff bill harvest
will be, is the contest between the pure
lard men and the lard refners. The direct
pulling and hauling in committee,has gone on
for theee weeks, but the inside scheming
goes on just as rapidly. The lard bill.
which has Senator Dawes name attached to
it, is just the same one which was brought
up in the New Hampshire legislature last
summer and is met by just about the same
influences, except that the cotton seed oil
men have all the extra force gained by a
consolidation of all the Southern interests.
,
in both the House and Senate, though it has
come to the front in the Senate only. The
bill is before the House committee, having
been introduced by Ben Butterworth.
The tactics to be employed, will keep
the bill back until it can be seen or sup
posed how the Senate or Senate committee
will vote on it. Judge Hatch, chairman of
the House Committee, is reported to be very
favorable to the bill and inclined take hold
of it, Hatch will be a valuable ally. He
has in one way or another got a great grip
on the farmer. He worked to get the. oleo-
margarine bill through. If he should take
hold of this in the same way, it would be a
noteworthy point for the pure lard dealers;
secretly that the Squire folks are getting
ready some big surprises on the other side.
One of the lawyers read a letter the other
day in which man agreed to show, If nee
essary, that dead hogs fat wasused in the
"refned lard"