The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1894-08-03
NO. 33.
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June Goth, 1891

L FROM our regular tOrreSfOuueiitI
WASHINGTON, June Goth, 1894.
Growers Epistle to the Free Trad
ers still holds its own as the most alb
sorbing subject of conversation now
before the Washington public. 1t was
bad taste and an outrageous assump-
| ton of authority for Mr. Cleveland 20
have written that letter and it only
| aggravated the case when he COM
PEELED Mr.. Wilson to read it as part of
| his speech on the floor of the House;
but there is no denying that the let
ter has had, at least partially, the ef-
| feet it was intended to have. 1t has
made it certain that the House will
never agree to the Senate amendments
| to the tariff bill, because, as Senator
Hill significantly remarked, such
| agreement would merely result in get
Ting the bill vetoed 1t has had
| another effect, however, which it is
certain was neither expected nor in
tended by its writer 1t has wrought
l sufficient number of democratic
Senators to control the Senate, with
| the help of the solid republican vote,
| up to publicly declaring that they
would refuse to vote to accept any
conference report that puts upon the
free list any article upon which the
Senate amendments placed duty.
That is just the way the thing
stands at this writing. The House
will not accept the Senate bill, and
the Senate will not accept the House
bill. Now the only change that can
take place must involve the surrender
of either the House or the Senate. 1t
can be surmised, without any great
danger of making a mistake, that Mr.
Cleveland will he able to prevent any
surrender on the part of the House,
as the democratic Senators who added
the protection amendments to the
bill did so because of pressure from
the states they represent it would
seem that they might be counted
upon to stand firm even if they were
not strengthened by their hatred of
Mr.. Clevelond, not only because of
the insulting manner in which he re-
fers to them in his letter. but also
because of the manner in which he
has tried to boss his party in Con-
gress-aye, and succeeded, tOo-frOm
the day on which ne became Presi-
dent. Still, if there is break in the
lines of either side it is believed that
it will be on the part Of the Senate.
The republicans are playing the part
of onlookers at the contest, but they
are by no means disinterested. On
the contrary, they are so much in
terested that Senator Aldrich has
asked all impaired republican Senators
to be ON hand and to remain within
call until the tariff is IN some way
disposed Of The republicans wish to
accomplish one Of two things-pre-
vent any tariff legislation, if that
can be done; otherwise to aid in get
ting as many of the Senate amend
ments as possible in the bill that
finally gets through.
Mr.. Cleyeland's alleged arguments
in favor of the sugar trust and of the
Whitney Nova Scotia coal syndicate,
in which all the world knows the
money of his closest personal and
political friends is heavily interested,
have greatly weakened his position
added to the chances for non-action
on the tariff bill. Everybody knows
that Mr.. Clevelands friends put their
money into that coal syndicate solely
because he assured them that free coal
was certainty, and, although it is
not absolutely known, there are ex-
cellent reasons for the belief that
other friends Of his have obtained
options on certain Cuban iron mines
upon assurance that iron ore was also
| to be free.
The House on Saturday passed by
the necessary two-thirds vote the
joint resolution providing for a con-
stitutional amendment for the cleo
ton of U. s. Senators by direct vote
If the people.