Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-07-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Washington, d. c.. July II, 1891
The White House which was thor
oughly renovated last fall, is closed
again for repairs. 1t will be a sad day
for the Washington housesmiths when
this historic rookery shall cease to be
prolific of jobbing, but the day will
come when the principle applied to
naval vessels-that those whose repair
would cost more than 20 per cent of
their value shall be dismantled will
have to be applied to the executive
mansion.
Assistant Secretary Spaulding has
instructed the collector of customs at
Port Huron, Mich, in the case of a
Chinaman arrested there for illegal
entry, to send him to San Francisco
for deportation to China. United States
commissioners at Detroit, Mich, and
Suspension Bridge, n. Y, recently
ordered the return of Chinese to Canada
despite the protestation of Assistant
Secretary Spaulding that they should
have been sent to San Francisco for
deportation to China. The question
has been referred to the Attorney Gen.
eral.
If Secretary Blain be really broken
down in health the responsibility there
fore must largely rest before the door
of blind partisanship in his own party
The fisheries dispute, the Spanish
| treaty, and many other matters that
have weighed upon his mind and
helped to break down his physical sys-
tenn, might have been disposed of in
President Cleveland's term. But it
| would not have been good politics to
let democratic administration have
the glory of settling such important
questions, and they were kept open
and held over by dissident congress.
This policy was aimed at Cleveland
and Bayard; but Blaine has been the
chief victim.
The discharged census clerks who
are clamoring for another pull at the
public teat furnish in their demeanor
a curious illustration of the demoral
| iziIg effect which Office holding, even
| for little while, may have on human
nature. Accustomed as these men
have been to dealing with billions for
some months past, they seem to have
| imbiDed the Foster idea that this is "a
billion dollar country, and, therefore,
well able to provide work and pay for
them al i'Jfnit,an. They are scarcely
to be blam ed for this impression. The
desire for public place is imbibed with
the atmosphere of Washington, and
few who dwell here i'm official relation
entirely escape the Infection But the
end comes sooner or later in a rude
awakening to the harsh reality; and in
this case it has come sooner, as one of
the results of the surplus looting policy.
|
Just now the advocates OF McKin-
leyism are absuI dley cackling over its
eccentric operation upon the trade in
linseed oil. Under the cid tariff of 25c
a gallon on linseed oil the price of the
article rose as high as So cents per
gallon. The Mckinley tariff increased
the duty to 32 cents, and the price of
linseed oil, has fallen to 45 cents a
gallon. This result is, with amazing
absurdity, heralded as one of the
triumphs of protection, just as if the
duty on linseed oil had been increased
for the purpose Of. reducing its price.
In such case the producers of liDseed
oil would be under small obligations to
the authors of the Mckinley tariff.
This is one of the instances in which
tariff spoilation has failed, temporarily,
at least, in its object The aim was
to increase the price of linseed oil by
increasing the duty. But with the in
crease of tax. consumption was ar
irested, by the use of rival commodities
in some cases, and the price fell in the
market. 1t is little to The credit of
protection that it often fails TO ac-
complish its plundering design. 1t is
still less creditable TO the intelligence
of its advocates that they set up .
boast over its failures.