The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-12-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Onr Regular Correspondent. }
WASHINGTON, Dec. IL, 1898.

WASHINGTON, Dec. IL, 1898.
The first week of congress disap-
pointed those who believed the chest,
nuty advance statements that this was
to be business session" from the first
day, and that the new tariff bill was to
be passed by the house before the
Christmas adjournment, as there would
be no delay in organizing the house and
making up the committees. Old stagers
are never caught by such statements
they know they are always made and
never lived up to, and that there is
always n certain amount of friction at
the beginning of every first session Of
congress that must be overcome before
the legislative machinery will work
smoothly. This friction has never been
more apparent than during the past
week. The principal cause in this
instance being the tariff, a subject that
has never failed to produce it in large
quantities.
The Wilson tariff bill will. unless
there be change in Chairman Wilson's
latest announced programme, be re-
ported to the house this week, but the
internal revenue bill will not accompany
it, for the very good reason that the
majority of the ways and means com.
mittee have not yet been able to agree
uponits main feature-a fol- of income
tax. Most of the members personally
favor a personal income tax, beginning
with income of $4,000, and there would
be no doubt of its being reported in that
shape were it not that President
Cleveland's message announced that the
committee had agreed upon the tax on
the net income of corporations: some Of
them hesitate abont classifying that nm
nouncement.
Great efforts have been anil are bel g
made to have the tariff bill submitted
to democratic caucus before it is re-
ported to the house and it may yet
succeed The principal obstacle is the
hesitation OF members to pledge them
selves to abide by the caucus decision.
Members representing districts in which
sugar is produced were among the first
to start the agitation for caucus, but
they have discovered thatthe sentiment
of the house is not only against the re
tention of the proposed reduced bounty
on sugar, but also against putting
duty on foreign sugar; consequently
they are not as anxious for a caucus as
they were. Whether there is caucus
or not the impression is becoming gen
eral that the sugar bounty vii be
dropped, if not in the house in the seu
ate.
All OF the papers relating to Hawaii
have been copied and will this week e
sent to the senate. in answer to thu res.
olulion adopted last week. That they
will be the basis Of an interesting
debate there is little doubt, although
the fact that the senator's stand so near
ly together on the subject may make it
very short.
Those who thought the presidents
message long document will find that
for length it was not in it with secretary
Carlisle's annual report, which is ex-
pected to be completed and sent to
congress this week. Not within The
memory of the oldest habitue of tire
capitol has the secretary of the treas
ury's animal report been kept back so
late, but the delay is explained by tue
announcement that the report will con-
tain more than $4,000 words, making it
more than three times as long "a the
presidents mes. age. Important as 1t
will doubtless be there are few people