The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1893-12-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Dec. l6, 1898.

who spoke those words was one OF
the few administration senators, and
he was referring to Mr.. Cleveland
whom he had just seen. Whether the
senator was ight in his diagnosis your
correspondent docs not pretend to
say, but it is becoming evident that
Mr.. Cleveland's friends think that
there is something the matter with him.
His actions of late have certainly been
queer. He is impatient, cross and al
most insulting to the few senators and
representatives, he condescends to see
at all, and when they afterwards get
together and compare notes they find
him changeable and inconsistent as
WELL Every discriminating person
who has taken the trouble to compare
the style of the literary work upon his
annual message with that of his mes
sage during the first administration
must have discovered a great differ
ence in them. This may, of course,
be due to the fact that Dan Lamont
finds the duty of deputy president SO
exacting that he has no time left to as
sist in the preparation of executive
documents. Be that as it may, Mr..
Cleveland's friends-he sees no one
else, except in public way-are Ger
tainly showing among themselves un-
easiness about his mental condition.
The democrats in the house are act
ing more like lot of badly demoral-
lied school boys than statesmen. They
promised that the new tariff bill
should be reported to the house on the
first day of the session, and the bill
has not yet been reported, although
Mr.. Wilson promises that it shall be
this week. The democrats of the
ways and means committee have al
ready made dozens of minor changes
in the tariff bill, thus acknowledging
that it was not properly considered be-
fore it was made public. They are
now squabbling among themselves
about submitting the bill to caucus
before it is reported, and democrats
are saying that they will not vote for
the bill unless certain Industries in
their districts are protected. The
house committee on banking and cur
rency, which has been wrestling with
that plank of the Chicago platform,
which promises the repeal of the tax
on state bank currency, plank, by
the way, that Mr.. Cleveland absolutely
ignored in his message, has arrived at
no conclusion, although its chairman
the much sat upon Springer, of Illinois,
has made public hodge-podge of
absurdities that could not possibly be
carried into effect, even If they were
enacted, showing what alleged progress
the committee has made.
The democratic members of the
wavs and means committee are at dag
gers points concerning the items to
be included in the internal revenue bill,
which ought to have been ready slmul-
taneously with the Cleveland tariff bill.
A majority of them favor personalin-
come tax, but they hesitate about in
cooperating it in the bill, because OF
Mr.. Cleveland's premature announce
ment in his message that the committee
had agreed to tax the profits of corpo-
rations only. Meanwhile the holiday
recess is in sight and nothing has been
accomplished.
In obedience to the demand of the
senate resolution passed last week, all
of the Hawaiian documents will this
week be sent to the senate.
"Like master like man." Secretary
Carlisle has refused the request made
by officials of the G.. A. r. that they be
allowed to solicit contributions in the
treasury for Christmas dinner to the
INDECENT soldiers of this department.
The southern war claimants will
have snap if the bill which has been
favorably reported from the judiciary
committee of the house ever becomes a
law. The bill provides for the repeal
of all laws making personal disloyalty
bar to claims against the government
for property destroyed during the re-
bellion, and gives all claimants whose
cases were by reason of their disloyalty
thrown out of the court of claims the
right to revive their claims and to
have the same rights and privileges in
prosecuting them that would be ex-
tended to the man who was always
loyal to the government. Any person
could recognize the jobbery in this bill
even if the southern lobby, headed by
ex-Congressman Hemphill, of South
Carolina, were less conspicuous by it:
advocacy. That "there are millions ir
it." if 1t can be made, is apparent to all
Democratic reform will come high, bu
it will not last long.
The democrats from the south votee
almost solidly against the bankruptc.
bill, which was last week defeated il
the house. 1t remains to be seen HOY
they will treat the voluntary bank
ruptcy bill fathered by Representativ
Bailey, of Texas, which that gentleman
will endeavor to push to the front thi
week.