Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-03-26
MINERAL POINT TRIBUNE.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondent.
WAsHGNGTON, d. c., March q, 1891

the dispatch sent him on the inst,
for the purpose Of allowing the
fleet Of Canadian seal poachers to
get to sea before this Government
had any opportunity to serve notice
upon the owners Of the vessels TO
keep out of Behriug sea, has
directed acting Secretary Of State
Wharton to inform Sir Julian
Pauucefote, the British minister,
that he desired an answer to that
dispatch at the earliest possible
moment The Presidents reason
for desiring an early answer is,
that upon the nature Of that answer
will depend the wording Of the
orders issued to the revenue cutters
and naval vessels which will short
ly be sent to Behring sea. The
request will also have the effect Of
convincing Lord Salisbury that the
President means business and does
not purpose to put up with any
nonsense, even from the alleged
"mistress of the seas" Lord Sails
bury has promised an early answer
The dangerous illness of Senator
Morrill, has cast a gloom over the
Senate wing of the Capitol, where
everyone is the friend Of the Senior
Vermont Senator. His age gives
him but q slim chance in fighting
pneumonia, which is the dreaded
foe Of the strongest man Mr..
Morrill, has been in Congress, first
in the House and then in the Senate,
since 1855.
Secretary Blaine continues to i'm
prove, although he has not yet
ventured out of the house. He has
not decided upon taking trip to
the South, but he may do So
Secretary Foster has returned
much improved in health by his
flying trip to Europe, aud he also
picked up while in England in an
unofficial way, some financial in
formation that will be found useful
to him in his official capacity.
Commissioner Raum took the
wind out of Representative Cooper's
sails by telling the House of in
vestigating committee that, while
ready aud willing to answer any
question or to give any desired
information about the Pension
Office or anything relating hereto,
he would not answer questions
about matters pertaining exclusively
to his private business affairs. The
Commissioner is generally com
mended for having taken that stand.
His official acts are properly uuder
the control Of Congress, but with
his private acts and business, Con
gress has nothing TO do.
Columbia, Hayti, and Venezuela
are the only countries that will feel
the heavy retaliatory hand of Uncle
Sam, all the rest Of the countries
concerned having either completed
reciprocity agreements with us or
got them so near completion as to
let them out. The Presidents pro-
clamation issued this week restores
the duty upon sugar, hides, coffee
and tea from the above named
countries until such time as they
shall give public notice of their
having removed the duties they
now impose upon the agricultural
aud other products Of this country
1t speaks volumes for the success
of reciprocity that only three
countries have to be retaliated
upon.
A more absurd statement was
never made than that of the dem
ocratic majority of the House ways
and means committee that they had
concluded to postpone the taking Of
a vote on the free wool bill from
Tie 2lst inst, 10 some indehuit e
date in the future in order To
accommodate members who wished
to speak on that measure. The
speeches that the democrats have
made on that bill might just as
well have been made on any other