The Monitor., 1890-03-28
WnsninxronIerrer.
tFrom our regular correspondent.

| Ways and Means committee arc leading a
hard life since the premature publication
of their report to the House of the tariff
| bill. Every industry that is unfavorably
affected has its lobbying friends either in
Washington or en- route to protest. The
committee room is besieged by emphatic
| pleaders, who announce that if this or the
other thing isn't undone tho Republican
party will be. The biggest howl comes
| from tho New England shoe men who
threaten to present an enormous petition
against taking hides from the free list.
The hide men are quite as loud in their ap-
peas that they must be protected against
foreign competition. AS between the di-
vided interests of the men on the western
farm who will be relieved of an extra tax
on ready made shoes while he trudges to
| market with calf's hide that will have to
| come into competition with the panper
hides of Europe, and the clashing interests
of the hide men and the shoe manufactur-
er, there seems to be a chance for fine Con-
gressional deliberation.
The pension appropriation bill, involy-
ing the expenditure of sos. 500, 900, passed
the House on Friday. There was no at
| tempt at opposition further than few re-
marks about the crying need of reform in
the Pension Bureau and few words from
Mr.. Allen, mildly protesting against the
growth of the pension system. But there
| were more political stump speeches than
tho House has heard for many a day. The
entire gamut of pension legislation was
sounded. General Grosvenor, who can
be always trusted for extremely partisan
speeches, led off for the Republicans,
while General Spinola took upon himself
the task of showing that the Democratic
party was the only and original, simon
pure, all wool friend of the soldier. Then
the debate degenerated into free fight, in
which the combatants were badly disfigur-
ed. General Spinola lost his temper, and
wound up by reading letter from Kansas
to the effect that prohibition and the Re-
publican administration were failures In
that State. What bearing the missive
had upon the pension bill he did not say
and the question is still unsolved.
The House committee. on the alcoholic
liquor traffic will favorably report bill
providing for the appointment of five COM
mssioners by the President, who shall
hold office not longer than two years. The
bill is rather hazy as to the exact duties
of this commission, aside from inquiry
into the general character of intemperance.
In a general way it is asked to ascertain
first, whether or not intemperance is an
evil in this country, and, second, how 1t
can best be restrained. The inquiry on
the first point belongs properly to the Gen.
sus bureau, if anywhere. The second in
quiry may be of some benefit.
Senators Stanford and Sherman jostled
ngs Saturday. Senator Sherman objected
to giving San Diego $500, 900 for public
building while Dayton, Ohio. only asked
for 100000. Senator Stanford admitted
but added that the buildings in San Diego
would contain, besides the post Office, the
custom houses, internal revenue Office and
land office. The Ohio Senator was not ex-
actly satisfied but the bill went through
all the same.
After occupying a large part of the time
of the Senate ever since December, the
Blair educational bill has been finally bur-
IL 4 anfi iayl
during the present session impossible. The
Blair bill has been gigantic monument
to buncombe for the last eight years.
A part from Senator Blair, who is a fond
parent to every child of his legislative fam
cy. the bill has had very few real friends
among the Republican leaders. Its doubt
full constitutionalty and its unwieldy and
visionary provisions long since condemned
it. Still so long as there was Democratic
House and Democratic President, the
Senate cheerfully and readily passed it.
Now that the entire administration is Re
publican the Republican Senate discovers
a change Of heart, the bill is abandoned
and after his eight consecutive daysspeech
Senator Blair finds himself alone and with
the empty bag to hold. The rest Of the
boys ran away and left him. The windy
bill that was good enough measure with
which to try to charm the neutral voters
of the poor districts of t he South was not
good enough to be made law, when the
time came that the united action of the
Republican party could have made it such.
Probably no one will ever take the trou-
BILE TO ascertain what the Blair bill has
cost the government. The months of more
or less eloquent harangues, the waste OF
thousands and thousands of pages of print
ing, the needless delay of really important
legislation to mako way for the considera-
ton of a bill that no one but an insane man
could have dreamed would pass, the th0us-
and and one expenses every days session
incurs, may never be known. 1t is the
history of eight years of bombast.
WESTON.
The Jr. o. L. A. M. Of New Jersey have
been lobbying before the legislature that a
bill might be passed to float the American
flag over every public school in the State.