The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-03-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

Democrats, even those who are personally
opposed to some of the changes made, are glad
| that the Senate Finance committee has at last
got the tariff bill in a shape to make its pas
| sage by the Senate certain. 1t is really sur
| prising, in view of the radical change made by
| taking sugar, iron ore, coal and lead ore from
| the free list and putting duty upon them,
| that the democrats of the House are not bud
er in their objections. But they regard the
| matter from common sense point of view,
| knowing that the democrats of tie Senate FL
nance committee yielded nothing that it was
not absolutely necessary to yield in order to
get the votes necessary to pass the bill, and
also that they will have another chance at The
changes when the bill goes to conference after
| its passage by the Senate.
The republicans of the Finance committee
would like to waste month or so BY keeping
The tariff bill in committee, but the democrats
| will not allow any such time. If they will
agree to have the DILL reported in week the
democrats will allow them that much time; if
not the bill will be reported sooner without
their consent.
Secretary Herberts answer to the House
resolution asking by what authority he order
ed Admiral Skerrett to obey Mr.. Bount when
he went to Hawaii as Special Commissioner,
| was, in short, that 1t came from the Command
erin Chief of the Army and Navy-.he Presi-
ident of the United States; aud he cited seven
precedents for the action, dating from 1928 to
1851.
Senator Blanchard assumed his new duties
10 day and Justice White, his predecessor, was
sworn in as member of the Supreme Court
If Mr.. Blanchard makes as good reputation
in the Senate as he leaves behind him in the
House the people of Louisiana will doubtless
him there.
Representative Kilgore, Of Texas, was not
altogether wrong, although rather too general,
when he said in the course of the debate on
the District Of Columbia appropriation bill,
concerning the newspapers of Washington:
'sThe newspapers of Washington have never
Jailed to advocate any scheme, I don't care
how infamous it was, that looked to the ex-
penditure of the public money in the int .rest
of specul itors IN and around the city. 1 never
knew of an instance in which they did not ad-
vocate such schemes" In reply to protest
from Represent ative Bl ,ir of N. H.. Mr.. Kill
gore continued: swell, make the distinct
charge that the newspapers are corrupt scheme
that has been introduced into Congress to
plumber the Treasury in the interest of private
interests.
Democr+t IS in Congress are in thorough SYM
patty with the Departmental Compression
Commission which has been engaged for
many morths in looking into the business
methods of the Government Departments,
with view to recommending changes look ing
to reduction of unneces sary red tape and of
unnecessary officials. Every recommended
ton of the Commission has been promptly
acted upon by Congress, the last one-for a
bolishipgt the Bureau of Customs of the Treas
ury epartment-having been passed by the
House without an hours discussion Slowly
but surely the leaven of reform is working.
The results of thirty years of extravaganza
and favoritism cannot be overthrown in dav,
or year, but they will be overthrown in the
end. This the democrats are determined up
on.
Senator Mcpherson has this to say about
the charge that the sugar clause of the evised
tariff bill gives the sugar trust an undue ad-
vantage: Gas drew the sugar schedule, 1
ought to know what it means, and certainly
know what it was intended to mean. The
entire discriminating duty, according to my
calculation, that refined sugar is accorded by
the bill is sixteen hundredths of one cent
Now, when you take into account the bounty
paid by Germany for its exported sugar, and
the fact that German sugar is shipped in bags
which are not dutiable, and which Can be
used over and over again, it will be seen that
the American refiner is given no advantage
over his German competitors. In truth, the
German exporter has one-hundreth of a cent
per pound advantage over the American refin-
er after he has paid our import duty. Now,
if any one disputes these figures of mine, and
can show me where the American retiner re-
ceives any greater protection than have stat
ed.I will see that the bill is changed"
The Senate will vote upon the bill for the
coinage OF the seigniorage next Thursday 1t
will certainly pass. Public opinion is divided
as to whether it will be vetoed, the majority
inclining to the be lief that it will be.