Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-04
HON. WIN. M.SPRINGER
HIS CRITICAL ILLNESS CAUSES GREAT
ANXIETY AND ALARM.
Fears Entertained for His Recovery-Ihe
Proposed Increase of the Cigarette
Taxa Probable Hill-Delegation.
IFrom Our Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, March s.-The report to-
day that Hon. William NJ Springer. of IL
linois. was at deaths door and liable to
pass away unless a change for the better
should occur caused sad and gloomy feel
ings among the public men at the Capitol,
and, regardless OF political afiiliation the
deepest regret was expressed. Mr. Spring
er for the past sixteen years has served IN
Congress. and from the very commence
nent of his career here he has been
q prominent figure. If he should
die now il would be only another
striking instance of man sacrlhcing
his life for the public service And these
instances have been frequent during the
last twenty years. Overwork killed sena-
tor Plumb. Senator Matt. Carpenter, Sena--
tor Beck, and others in that body; and
Messrs. Randall of Pennsylvania and
Burnes of Missouri were striking examples
among the leading members of the House.
Neither of the last named was an old man
when he suddenly gave way. Coionei
BuTnes was only 81. and Mr.. Randall was
under 65. and each seemed, almost up TO
the time OK his death, to be good for many
years.
HIS PARTY SERVICES.
Dir. Springer is not quite 56 years OF age.
He was born May 30. 1886. Few men IN
public life have attended to their duties
more closely than he. During oil the
years he has served in the House he has
seldom missed q session of that body, and
in all the hard fights of the Democracy,
whether in the halls of Congress or on the
stump. In State and national campaigns,
he has been at the front battling for the
principles Of his party. In the most ex-
citing debates he has uniformly Kept MS
temper. and IN parliamentary struggles no
man has been quicker in the citing of pre-
cedents or construIng the rules. lie has
shown himself TO be an easy, fluentspeaker.
ready IN debate. shrewd when cOrnered,
and hard to handle. Always smiling, never
sensitive, and generally just to a foe IN
spite OF sharp thrusts aimed az hlm ana
unjust aspersiOus cast upon him, he has
maintained himself we'll and has earned a
big reputation as q legislator without
being ranked as great orator.
EXCESSIVE WORK.
Should Mr. Springer die in the prime of
his usefulness TO his party and MS coun-
| try he will 90 down another victim TO the
| excessive work that is the lot of the mod
ern congressman who serves his constlt-
uents faithfully and attends TO bis legls-
lative duties in the House. Those who
have been in Washington for years to
| chronicle the events at the Capitol, and
who can learn how hard is the work OF a
useful member Of Congress, know that ouI
| public men have too much to DO. IheiI
| burdens should be lIghtened in some
| way, or else the premature taking on ol
| the ablest OF the cOuntry's statesmen VIII
continue to shock the country.
In the event of Mr.. Sprlnger's death the
belief is that Hon. Benton McMillin, OF
| Tennessee, will succeed him as chairman
of the Ways and Means Committee.
| THEY WANT TO KNOW.
| Letters ere being received here from
many centres where the manufacturing O
| paper wrapped cigarettes Is "a leading IN
| dustry wanting TO know If there Is any
prospect of the passage of the Stahlneckel
| bill proposing a change in the revenue
| laws SO that the tax on these goods shal
be raised to $40 per thousand. nany OF
| the manufacturers are protesting against
the proposed increase. The commit
| tee has done nothing yet with th'
bill. The belief is that nothing vii
90 done with II during the present session
| as the general sentiment - this IS not tn
| time for the plllng up OF any more inter
| nai-reyenue duties on tObacco-no matte
| ia what shape-cigarettes. OF anything else
| The sentiment is the other way-kn0ck OF
everything that taxes tobacco IN any form
PLEASED WITH THE TINE.
Most Of the North Carolina members az
! pleased that the state committee OF thel
! State have arranged the programme Z
| have the Democratic convention TO assem-
| bic Nav 18th to nominate State officers "a
well as choose delegates to the natlona
convention at Chicago. Some OF the lead
| ers favored calling separate convention
In August 10 nominate candidates tor Stat
| officers. but II can be done, II Is clalme'
here. lust as well IN May as III August. an
| besides. the Alliance people will take par
in the May convention to greater exten
pOseibly than il the matter were postpone'
until August.
Letters being received from the Stat
indicate that the North Carolina delega
tion TO Chicago Will probably not be III
| structed for any one on the presidentia
Iquestion, but should there be deman'
Tor positive action in advance some OF tn
members of the delegation here belley
that Senator Hill Is apt 70 be the choice
The reports they receive indicate tina
owing 70 his anti-silyer attitude, as well a
the fact that he IS not the choice OF hi
own State delegation, Mr.. Cleveland Ia
practically email following in North Care
lima.
vIRGINIASs AT THE CAPITAL.
DIR. f.. G.. Booth, of Carter's Grove, Va.
and his daughter. Miss Lucy Booth, hay
been spending few days at the Metro
poltan. DR.. Booth is tine son OF the gen
tleman who in 1876 erected, at his own eN
pense, Virginia building on the Centen
NAL Exposition-grouuds, Philadelphia,
Judge John L. Lowell, of Front Royal, !
among the prominent Virginians at pres
ent III the city.
Captain John A. Coke, of Richmond, ha
been here for several days.
THE SILVER LINES TIGHTENING.