Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-04-06
OUR WASHINGTON BUDGET.
ATHREE-CORNERED FIGHT BETWEEN
LIQUOR DEALERS.
7 he Traffic in the District of CoIumbia-
Public Printer Benedict and the Eight
Hour Law-Kepublican Senatorial
cus-CommerciaI Reciproc-
ity with Canada
from our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 90.

liquor traffic in this district which is now
pending before Congress, Washington is
in the midst of a bitter three cornered
fight between the liquor dealers, who are
in favor of allowing the law to remain just
as it is, the prohibitionists who insist on
the passage of law entirely prohibiting
the sale or manufacture of liquor in the
District of Columbia and the conserva-
tive people who recognize the liquor traffic
as a necessary evil, but propose to keep it
within proper bounds by the passage of a
law putting a high license on the business
and providing for severe penalties for its
violations. Between the representatives
OF each of these ideas the lives
of the members of the District
committees of Congress have been
made miserable for some time past and
now it seems that the public at large is to
be talked to death on the subject. Night
before last a public meeting was held to
discuss all sides of the liquor question. 1t
ended In a row. Last night the prohlbi-
tionists held mass meeting at the Con
gregational church, and the language
used by some of the speakers was calcu
lated to enhance the hard feelings already
existing between the parties. One OF the
SDedkeIS-d WO1DuU-utUOuHCeu Congress
man CRANE of Texas, who had been one
of the speakers against prohibition the
night before, as monumental liar;
another one-also woman-spoke of the
ti-prohibitionists as "cut-throats, and
no better than Corscan bauditti."
These women mean well but such Ian
guage will never make any converts to
prohibitions. The great majority of the
people believe that temperance is good
| thing, but that it should not be confined
to the liquor question entirely. Being iu-
temperate in the use of language is nearly
akin to being incorporate in the Use OF
liquor. Calling a man a liar, cutthroat or
a bandit, convinces no one ; if he has
made mlsstatements, show them up; if
he has cut a throat or robbed anyone,
prove the crime upon him and the law
will provide adequate punishment; 1t Il
never pleasant to listen to bad Ian. uage
from any person and least Of all from the
lips OF lovely woman
~
Public Printer Benedict has evidently
concluded not to wait for Congress to com
pei him to obey the eight hour law. 1t is
now enforced in every department The
working force of the Office is divided into
day and night force, the first going
to work at O'Clock in the morning and
working until o'clock III the afternoon
with an hour for dinner, and the latter
going to work at o'clock in the afternoon
and working until O'Clock a. IN.
-
Mr.. Enloe of Tennessee, created lit lie
breeze in the House to-day by report ing
adversely from the Postof1ice Committee
a resolution calling upon the postmaster
general for information in regard to the
recent instructions issued by him to post
masters relating to the usage of the mails
by American citizens residing or having
agents in Canada. Mr. Allen of Mis-
sissipp thought the spectacle of a ma ority
of a committee of the House bringing in
an adverse report upon a resolution asking
official information OF the head of great
department of the government was a
unique one, and he did not think the
House would indorse such report.
~
The republican senators held a
caucus this morning to consider
the House bill to purchase United
States bonds. A proposition was made
to recommt the bill to the Finance
Committee with instructions to report it
| back as it came from the House. This
was recommended as being the shortest
way to kill the amendment of Senator
| Plumb which had already been adopted
by a committee of the whole, but is yet TO
gested that as "A measure OF party har-
| mony the caucus ought to dispose of the
troublesome amendments to the bill. The
suggestion was violently opposed. Sena-
tor Stamford said he would not be bound
| by caucus action in legislation of this
| kind. Other speeches were made in the
same vein, one gentleman sarcastically re-
marking that ii, would not look well for
| republican senators to adopt rs a party
measure a Hill emanating from demo
cratic House. Senator Plat appealed to
the caucus for the passage of n bill to ad
init Dakota as a State, urging the great
| Importance of having the bill passed by
the Senate and sent to the House at an
early day. No result was reached, ami it
was finally decided that committee of | |
be appointed to straighten out things and
arrange an order of business and report
back to another caucus which is to be held
early next week. If the report of this
committee shall be in favor of recommit-
ting the bond purchase bill, there is likely
| to be very lively opposition to the report.
1t is generally believed by republicans that
the committee will deyise some method of
preserving party harmony.
-
| Senator Sherman will, it is said, shortly
write a letter announcing his withdrawal
from the presidential race, or rather the
race for the nomination. He has become
convinced that in order to get the nomina-
ton he would have to wage bitter fight
against certain parties, aud that this fight
would cause GOODNESS towards him on
the part of enough republicans to endan-
ger his election, therefore he has conclud
ed that the wisest course to take in his
own and in the party's interests is to
withdraw entirely. Mr.. Sherman would
made an ideal pr esdent and his election
would reflect much honor upon the repub
lican party, nevertheless, in determin-
ing TO retire he has undoubtedly act
ed wisely 1T is doubtful AS to
whether he could have gotten the
nomination. 1t would be asking al
most too much, for Mr., Sherman to ask
the friends of eX-President Arthur in New
York, to support him. They have not yet
forgotten the manner in which Mr. Sher-
man. when secretary of the treasury, re-
moved Collector Chester A. Arthur from
the New York custom house. The old
New York stalwarts have never forgiven
sherman and what's more they never will.
Mr., Sherman will probably continue to be
an hnnor1l and nSaful member of the