The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-02-03

IFrOm our Regular Correspondent
WAsHIEarok JIM "a. 1883


For do.nothinGness, the present Con-
gress is long ways ahead o. all its pre-
decessors. The House committee ON
commerce have the snhIetl Of The Read
ing railroad now before them. 1t las
been informally DISCUSSED, and the fact
developed that about one half the CONF
mitlee are opposed to ans congressional
Investigation, believing Il any IS neces-
sary, it is within the province OF the In
ter-Siate Commerce Commission 10 make
it. The question will be called mp again
Tomorrow, when delegation Of Knights
of Labor who want Congressional in
yestisatinn, viii endeavof = gcta hear
ing.
Congressional investigators are al
ways popular with certain class 81
Congressman, particularly if the corpo-
rations and individuals happen To be
wealthy. Impecunious Congressman
want all the opportunity for fat pickinGs
that they can get, and they are sure to
make the most of their opportunities.
The latest proposed investigation il that
provided by Mr.. Mason's bill, which
proposes To empower Congressional
committee to investigate NIL the trusts
and combines that have been entered
into by firms, corporations, aud individ-
uals in coal, sugar, mining, and kindred
subjects. The House committee on
manufactures has unanimously agreed to
report this bin favorablv. and they are
expected to do SO early this week Then
these impecunious congressman will be-
gin to indulge in champagne and terra
pin stew, and to ride 10 and from the
Capitol in coupes instead of the plebeian
street cars and herdics.
II is said there is strong lobby with
unlimited cash behind them, who are
here for the express purpose of oppos-
ing this bill. Fit were not for this lob
by It is extremely doubtful whether the
Investigation would ever have been pro-
posed.
Just whg Secretary Villas. late Post
master.General, should have been will
ing and apparently anxious TO go down
a grade in official dignity as he did in ac-
ceptins the portfolio Of the Interior De-
partment, has been quite puzzling to q
great many people. The whole matter
is explained, however, by the following
official order. which was made public on
Saturday: Secretary Villas has relieved
Assistant Secretary Muldrow of the care
of supervising land decisions, aud in the
future he will devote his personal atten-
ton to them" Which means i'll plain
English that from this time ON, the ell
tire public land system of the United
States IS to be manipulated IN the inter
est of Cleveland's reelection. Keep
your eye on Villas and his land decisions
between now and next November.
The Postoflice Department has issued
fa-eiFeulaF giving THE construction that
the Department win put upon the new
law eoncernlng.the amount of printing
or writing that may be placed on the
wrappers of second, third, and fourth
class mail matter. This new law receIv-
ed the Presidents signature Saturday.
The anti Randall Democrats in Con-
gress are wild with joy over the defeat
lof the Randall candidate for the chair
mansbip of the Democratic State Central
Committee of Pennsylvania. and the
passage by that committee of resolu-
ton strongly endorsing Cleveland and
commencing his recommendation for re-
ducing the tariff. Mr. Randall keeps
cool, and SAYS the result will not change
his legislative course one iuta; but he
does not intimate what that course will
be during the present session Of Con-
gress. But it is safe to say that his opin-
ion on the tariff has not undergone any
change since the adjournment of the
forty-ninth Congress. 1t is claimed by
anti-internal revenue men, that Randall
is with them in their EXTREMIST meas
ures, while others will Tell You that he
only favors the abolition of the tobacco
tax; and still n few, very few, Others
will tell you that he will favor the bill
for reducing the tariff, that will be re-
ported by the committee on ways and
means. The fact of the matter is, no
one knows what Randall intends doing.
He has not committed himself HIs en-
emies think that his defeat in Pcnnsyl-
wanna will deprive him of some of his
prestige and power in the House. We
shall see.