Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1894-03-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Unwritten Trials OF The Wilson
BilI-The Carnegie Armor Plate
Business Other Topics.

AIter many uayS lne wilson Dill na
been again brought to the light of da!
by the Democratic members of the Sen
ate Committee on Finance, to which il
was referred. The struggles and trial:
through which it and the members of the
Committee passed. while it was under
consideration will never be written in
history The stand taken by Senator
Brice, and backed by German, Hill, Muir
ply and few other Senators, has had its
effect, and the bill is amended in many
of its essential features. Many of these
changes in the bill have been made
against the wishes of the majority of the
Committee who had charge of the bill
but the great desire to report bill
that would pass the Senate-a Senate
that has so few Democratic votes to
spare desire to pacify those who
had declared themselves against the
bill as it came from the House, prevailed.
The free list has been cut down in great
shape. Iron ore and coal are each given
10 cents per ton; and coke, lead ore and
and sugar are all given duty. Wool is
still free. in spite of fSenator Brice's stand
for small duty. but it could hardy be
expected that wool would be given du-
ty after being the great rallying point of
the party for some years. To say that
the report is a surprise to the great mass
of people here, is to state the fact. Some
politicians are. saying that the Wilson
bill as it came from the House was a
better measure for: the manufacturing
States than this. | believe in treating
everything fairly, and to any one who
has faith in any protection at all for
our industries, this is much better bill
than the one that passed the House-a
much safer bill to pass Of course GER
tain politicians on both sides of the great
question will contend that the bill ought
to be more radical. If the Senate passes
this bill, it will help in a great measure
to restore that confidence in it that it lost
during the struggle over silver Senator
Hills resolutions, introduced the other
day in the Senate, showed clearly that
he and the friends that have gathered
around him, and Brice. in this struggle,
manded that the committee report a
bill for revenue. 1t shows the ground
on which the Senators were preparing to
make their stand, if the committee paid
no heed to their requests. The report is
great personal victory to the few Sena
tors who have stood out and declared
that the opposite policy would ruin the
party for years to come.
There has been great deal of com
ment here during the past week in regard
to the Carnegie armor plate business.
1t has been impossible, so far, to get at
the bottom facts in the matter. The
levying of the fine of $4,000, instead of
the rejection of the imperfect armor
plate, raised the question as to how this
had been arranged. According to the
contract all the imperfect plate could
have been rejected. This would have
been heavy blow to the Carnegie Com
pany, and it is supposed fine was agreed
upon. As the Company thought the fine
was excessive, and as the President was
made the arbitrator, he was appealed to.
The fine was finally reduced to $4,000,
and this amount was paid by the Compa
ny. All this was some time since, but
has recently come out. But the most OF
the facts of the Case have been kept very
closely under cover. and whether they
will be allowed to come to the public, is
quite question.
For day or two it was thought Chair
man Wilson would surely die, and a
great deal of sympathy was heard on all
sides for him. 1t would have been a
heavy loss to the Democratic side and
some of Wilson's best friends are on the
Republican side of the House. All recog
nize his ability, and the amount of hard
work done by him the last few months,
which has broken him down, and almost
cost him his life. All are reioieed to
know that be is on the high road to re-
covery, and will return to his home as
soon as he is able to be moved.
The famous case against W. C. p.
Breckenridge, of Kentucky, is about to
be tried here 1t will be a struggle for
and against the political future of the
old man, as it may cost him his seat in
the House. He is probably the most
famous of the Breckinridge family now
living. and he feels keenly the disgrace
of the suit now about to be tried
An attempt is to be made to save the
wreck of the old Kearsarge. 1t seems
that the stores and arms on the old ves-
sci have been taken off by different
ships of foreign nations, and no doubt
most of them are beyond recovery. 1t
seems strange that robbery of this kind
will be permitted
The debate over the Pension appropri-
alton bill in the House has been quite
interesting, and has brought out some
rather warm discussions. Old General
Sickles made long speech in which he
severely criticised the position of the
present administration on the pension
question. He paid his respects to the
Pension Department in very free Ian
guage, and was warmly applauded from
the Republican side of the House. The
old General is free lance, and seems as
happy when he is giving his own party
a good scolding, as when turning his
voice against his party enemies. But he
has reached the age and position that he
can say just what he pleases, and he
does.
President Cleveland has returned from
his trip, and is once more at his desk in
the White House. He certainly looks in
hearty condition, and his worry-if he
al Il 4. L.,