Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1890-05-01

WASHINGTON. April 30, 80.

Correspondence From the Capitol.
WASHINGTON. April 30, 80.
After thoroughly reviewing the vol
luminous testimony in the case and the
report of the committee which has been
investigating the disclosure of executive
proceedings of the Senate, that body on
Friday refused to adopt the resolution of
the committee to bring the recalcitrant
correspondents before the bar of the
Senate, and the witnesses who have been
under subpoena for the past fifty-one
days were discharged. Mr.. Dolph, the
chairman of the committee came into
the Senate during the secret session for
the consideration of this matter, loaded
down with bulky evidence, which was
all in typewriter copy, as he did not
care to trust it to be printed. This will,
no doubt, end the case, and the next step
will be for the correspondents who have
been under subpoena for so long a time
to get their witness fees, which, at the
ordinary rate, will amount to Sl53 each
1t will be remembered that the corre-
spondents declined to tell the committee
anything as to their sources of information
respecting executive session matters.
Afterwards the committee called all the
members and employees of the Senate,
the private and executive secretaries of
the President and the employees in the
Diplomatic Bureau and the State De-
partment and questioned them. The
testimony was printed, and later the
report of the committee was prepared.
This recited the failure of the inquiry to
establish the completely of anyone with
the newspaper men, and it was recon-
| l,1 IL I.
the Senate to be dealt with for contempt.
| Since that time the committee has been
practically ignored by the Senate, the
of the subject. But Mr.. Dolph was de-
termined to be heard, and it is said he
made an effort to secure place for the
consideration of his report on the pro-
gram of business adopted by the Repub-
lican steering committee but failed, al
though he was himself member of the
committee.
*x*
| The bills to turn the United States
| Treasury into loan office, for the bene-
fit of farmers and laborers, which Re-
publican Senators and Representatives
in Congress are Introducing are but the
natural outcome of the centralizing ten
utheiSo Vi biiS HC
in practice, long ago left the American
principle that the people should support
the government and not the govern
ment the people, and the result is seen
in those communistic schemes presented
to Congress. The most OF them, how
ever, are no more un-American than the
protection-sake policy of
the party. If the government taxes the
farmer in order to insure the manufac-
turer a profit on his capital invested in
certain ways, why not also do something
for the farmer so that he will be sure of
fair returns for his crops regardless of
the law of supply and demand and nat
ural conditions? 1t is poor rule that
won't work both ways. The agricultural
industry is suffering from the bite of the
protection dog, and the Republicans pro-
pose to cure it by giving it some of the
hair of the dog that bit it.
*x*
Why not leave the Executive Mansion
exactly as it is, and build a home for
the President in some other section of
this city? is question asked by some
who hold the few traditions we have in
respect, and who appreciate that the
White House is one of the best pieces of
architecture we possess. A good thing
is rarely improved by working it over
and patches are always discernible.
The Treasury Department and the Ex-
ecutives Mansion are the best bits of
architecture at the Capitol and should
be left intact. The most popular sug-
gestion on the subject is that the house
for our Presidents should be in the sub
urbs, in the midst of lovely grounds,
and of beauty and substantially. The
present building could always remain the
Executive Mansion, where all business
could be transacted, and after the work
of each day was done the President
could drive to his home and enjoy its
solitude and quiet, pleasure denied to
him now, as at the White House he is
never free from intrusion.
~
The State department, under the pres
ent administration, is doing its best to
keep its own secrets, and Secretary Blaine
evidently regards the entire business of
the State Department as his own secrets,
or ''largely private affairs" to use the
phrase which he himself applied to bust
ness trusts. When Mr.. Bayard was
Secretary of State the papers relating to
the foreign relations of this country for
the year were always in the hands of
Congress and the public within few
davs of the meeting of Congress in De-
cember; whereas up to date not single
scrap of paper of the kind has been de-
livered to Congress by Secretary Blaine.
~
One-third of a Congressman's time,
and nobody knows how much money, are
devoted to his constituents who want Of
fee, and insist upon his getting it for
them.
*x*
1t is announced that Major Mckinley
has been so exhausted by his labors on
the tariff bill that he will go to Europe
to recuperate. 1t is hoped that he will
not leave before the funeral. r.
Advertise in
the "TribTne." :"