The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-02-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 1894.


Republican senators are met with a
piece of democratic duplicity at the be- |
ginning of the consideration of the
Cleveland tariff bill by the senate COM
mlttee that is far from encouraging.
Previous to the passing of the bill byl
the house Senator Voorhees,, chairman
of the finance committee, promised
republican senators that the committee
would grant full hearings to industries
affected by the bill. Now, those
promises are ignored and Mr.. Vorhees
says the committee will grant few, if
any hearings, alleging as an excuse for
breaking his word that the information
which will be received from the circular
letters sent out by the committee will
be all that is needed. This is mere
subterfuge, and no one knows it any
better than Mr.. Vorhees. It is per-
fectly true that the answers to the
questions in that circular letter
would furnish all the informa-
ton necessary; but it is also true
that this information never will be put
in shape to be used by the committee,
and that is also known to Mr.. Vorhees.
If answers are received from only one
half of the ne.million circular letters
sent out it would require the continual
services of fifty clerks for at least six
months to tabulate the answers and
put them in an understandable shape.
The committee hasn't the clerks nor
the disposition to wait for the work to
be done if it had them. The plain un-
| vanished truth is that Mr.. Vorhees
has received the orders of his master
in the white house and he will break
his word to his colleagues who have
nothing to give him in preference to
disobeying his master who has Offices
at his disposal. 1t begins to look as
though Mr.. Cleveland has sufficient
control of the democrats on the finance
committee to compel them to report
! the bill to the senate practically as 1t
was passed by the house, leaving the
| fight to be made on the floor of the
senate. The republican senators pro-
pose making it fight that will be
memorable in the tariff history of the
country.
The most notable feature of the
democratic side of the Hawaiian dis
cussion in the house Was the unblush-
ing affrontry of representative McCre-
airy, of Kentucky, in standing up and
INFORMING the, house and the country
that Cleveland had never de-
cided upon the restoration of the
queen. This is one of the results oi
cuckooism upon man who has always
been considered in spite of his intense
partlsanship fair minded and patriotic
When man becomes the defender Of
Mr.. Cleveland's policy he necessarily
has to drop the role of patriotic states
man and assume that of pettifogging
special pleader who endeavors to make
good case for his clients regardless ot
law or facts. Such men are common
enough in every community, but it is
little short of a natioal calamity that
so many of them should occupy seats
in congress. The only consolation is
that the people have fully acquainted
themselves with the facts in this case
and cannot be balnboozled DO misstate
ments or cuckoo resolutions.
Mr.. Cleveland is doing more in hi:
effort to beat senator Hill and secure
the confirmation of Mr.. Peckham to the
supreme court vacancy to lower The
dignity attached to the office of presi-
dent of the U. S. than any other mar
has ever done, and the result appears
to be contrary to his expectations
Some senators who were at first dis
posed to vote for Peckham's conhrma-
ton will vote against it as rebuke tt
Mr.. Cleveland for his peculiar ane
undignified tactics and 1t may be tha
enough of them will so vote to reiec
the nomination. There is anothe
feature that is not considered creditab bl
to Mr.. c. The financial condition O
J the government is such that it wouls
seem to demand the entire attention
and the best abilities of the president
but instead he is giving his entire tim
to conducting personal fight, leavin
the finances to get along as they may
The patriotism of the republicans il
congress has never been more strik.
, ingly exemplifed than by their con.
, duct concerning the sale of $5O,OOO,-
600 of bonds by Secretary Carlisle
They preferred maintaining the credi
of the government to taking advan