The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-12-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Regular Correspondent

be and how long IL Will run. president
Cleveland's MESSAGE is, in one respect
at least. like the new tariff bill; it de-
ponds largely upon the politics OF the
man what he thinks of it, or ct least
what he says he thinks of it-some men
seldom or never express their real
opinion upon such questions as the
tariff and finance. There is one thing
about the message upon which all men
agree; it is thoroughly Clevelandisll
from its beginning to its end.
1t looks now as though the talk about
getting the tariff bill through the house
before the holiday recess, which pre-
vailed here few days ago, was entirely
too premature. If members of the ways
and means committee, know, and ifthey
don't nobody does, the bill with its
accompanying majority and minority
reports will not be ready to be reported
to the house until next week, and If the
bill is not reported until next week it
may be set down as certainty that it
will not be passed by the house before
Christmas. 1t could, of course, be put
through the house in forty-eight hours
after it was reported, but it would be q
proceeding so unusual that it would be
generally condemned, even by friends
of the bill. Chairman Wilson says it is
not his desire to prevent the bill being
debated to reasonable extent in the
house. To railroad the bill through
the honse would give his enemies a
chance to charge him with being afraid
TO debate. There is at present consider.
able talking..of democratic opposition to
the bill, but there isn't enough of it to
endanger the passage of the bill, SO far
as the house is concerned, although it
is expected to result in few slight
amendments thereto.
But the outlook in the senate is tull
of uncertainty, and unless some OF the
proposed changes are made in the rules
there is small chance for the Wilson
bill to get through even though it be
ever so judiciously amended. And even
if the rules arc changed there are u
number of anti-Cleveland democratic
senators whose actions no one can pre-
diet to cert Unity There are only
fourty-four democrats in the senate and
it takes just forty-three of them to make
majority of that body as ut present
constituted. The three populists sena-
tors have not committed themselves on
The Wilson bill although their position
CD the tariff generally is known. The
thirty. nine republicans may be counted
upon TO vote solidly against the bill.
1t is well to keep these things i'll mind
as the session goes on. Should the
Alabama and Louisiana senators vote
with the republicans the sugsr and iron
ore schedules could easily be defeated
(even if the populists voted with the
democrats), and hints are not lacking
that they will do SO; also, that they will
get assistance from Tennessee and West
Virginia. Still, it must not be forgot
ten that the full strength of the admin
iStratiou and of the party machinery
will he exerted to keep the democrats
in line for tie bill, and the power of
such n combination must not be under
rated.
It IS rumored that the administration
is about to conclude the negotiations OF
new treaty with China by which in
return for the cessation of all interior
ence with Cinnamon in the United
States, China binds itself to purchase
$50, 900 900 worth of silver bullion from
us annually aud to grant us commercial
concessions that would result in giving
our merchants the trade of China which
now goes to Europe.
Representative Dockery of Mo-, is
authority for the statement that the
Legislative, executive and judicial APP
preparation bill to be passed by this
congress will contain a clause abolish
ing the Office of naval officer. There
are naval officers at number of the
principal ports Of the United States
and although the Office was originally
created for the purpose of being sort
Of check upon the collector of customs
it has long since ceased to be anything
more than o $1,000 sinecure with pat
ronage worth as much more. 1t would
seem that there would be no difficulty
in abolishing such an Office. but it is
just because its occupant has nothing to
do except to draw his salery that some
politicians wish it let alone.
Representative Holman, of Ind, erst.
while the watch. dog of the treasury. is
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