The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1894-08-24
W Washington Letter.


Washington, d. c. August Il, 1894
President Cleveland does not like the SEN
ate tariff bill any better than he did when
he wrote that letter to Chairman Wilson
few good Democrats dO-but, like
the sensible man that he Is, he prefers it
to the Mckinley law, and has, accord
ing to the best obtainable information,
made up his mind that it shall become
a law, but has not vet fully decided
whether ne will sign 1t or allow IL to be-
come law without his signature: nor
whether he will send another special
message to congress on the subject, urg-
ing the passage at this session of the
separate mouse bills providing for free
coal. iron ore and barbed wire. So far
as the action of the senate Is concerned,
it makes little difference what the
President may do, as enough Republican
senators have gone away from Washing
ton to break quorum and they left for
that very purpose, so as to make sure
that the senate could not pass any other
| tariff bills.
Secretary Carlisle has written letter
| to Senator Harris, showing that the
revenue to be derived from the tariff on
sugar is absolutely necessary to avoid a
deficit in the treasury for this fiscal
| year, and stating that if the bill for free
sugar, which passed the house with only
II opposing votes, is passed by the sem
ate, some other bill to raise the S43, ,0OO,-
| 600 which it Is estimated will be collected
| on foreign sugar must also be passed
| That letter has made the passing of the
/ free sugar bill out of the question, even
| if the senate were in position to do it,
| Notwithstanding the fact that a ma jOrI-
| ty of the senate favOrs free sugar. Sec
| retary Carlisle's letter contained the
! latest revised estimates of the revenues
of the government under the senate tar
| iff bill. The total estimated receipts are
! S37S, 100000, and the expenditures.
| 1868 .0OO, 900. An estimated surplus of
| SO, 600, 600 is entirely too small to stand
any further reduction.
The wisdom of the house in accept
| ing the senate amendments to the tariff
bill, although it involved a seeming sur
| render on the part of the house, is be-
| coming more apparent every day. 1t Is
now clear as day that only the prompt
action of the house Democratic caucus
| prevented its being carried out. Had
Senator Hills resolution directing the
senate COnfereeS to report a disagree
ment to the senate been adopted before
the house acted, it would have been fol
lowed by a motion to pospOne the whole
matter until next December, and the
motion would have been carried. Sena-
| tor Vest, in a speech defending the sen
ate from the numerous charges made
against it IN connection with tariff leg
| iSlatiOn, said: Men said the question
was between the Wilson bill and the sen
ate bill That statement was as false as
the assertion that this was a Democratic
senate. On the question of tariff re-
| form it never was and never can be Il
Democratic senate as at present cOnsti
tuted. Tne question was between the
senate bill and the Mckinley law
! There the choice was to be made. and
every one conversant with the situation
knew it." That is as plain as it could
be made.
! Senator Walsh is a good Democrat
and a good editor. Hence his advice i:
good. He says: 1.-The Democrat,
! press should use its influence to create Z
! just public opinion as to the real merit.
of the senate bill. When properly pre-
Sented as the best measure of tariff re
form attainable, the conservative senti
ment Of the country will settle down tC
| the conviction that very substantial
progress has been made III the direction
of real tariff reform and freer trad,
| among nations" That is the proper
| way to look at it. The senate bill is {
great improvement on the MCKINLEY
| law
! Representative Breckenridge, of Ar
! kansas, resigned his seat in the hous,
this week and qualified as Minister tc
to Russia, to which position he wa:
! nominated and confirmed some week:
ago. Minister Breckinridge expects tC
start for Europe in few days, but he
will travel leisurely, stopping at a mum,
Der of places, and docs not expect tC
! reach st. Petersburg until about October
Is.
! Managers of the presidential boom OF
Senator Cameron are hard at work try
ing to get their grip upon the American
| etalllc League, which is this week
holding a conference here. but they
haven't met with much success. Ever
the Republican members of the league
! are not solIdly for Cameron, and he has
few supporters among the pOpulist mem
bers and none among the Democrats
| There Is no longer the slightest doubt
about Cameron being in the field for the
Republican nomination, his claim being
based solely upon his friendship for sill
yer and his willingness to pay Tor sup.
/ port.