The Opelousas courier., 1894-09-08
Washington Letter.
tar Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON. Sept. 8, 1894.
Secretary Carlisle is probably doing
the hardest work of his life, while the
President and most of the other mem
bers of the Cabinet are seeking the
recreation they earned by their hard
work during the long session OF Con-
gress. 1t is the administration Of the
new tariff law that is keeping Secretary
Carlisle in Washington and working
him so hard. Every hour brings tele-
grams stating questions that must be
answered and very mail adds it's quota.
Few OF these complications are I'M
portant to the general public, although
they are very important to individuals
and must be carefully Strengthened out
as the Secretary's decision will set a
precedent which may involve tue gain
or loss of thousands of dollars to the
government. Probably the most inn
portaDt decision that Secretary Carlisle
has yet made was that stopping the pay
ment of the sugar bounty on the day
the new Law went into effect regardless
of when the application for the bounty
was made. This decision princl-
pally affects the beet sugar
makers, who claim that they should be
paid the bounty upon all sugar made
oSIoiO luC ICpCdt VI LlC Uuuuty Id"
went into effect, and who are making
strong efforts to get Secretary Carlisle
to change his Interpretation of the law,
although it also catches this years crop
of maple sugar. Upon this decision
will depend whether about $500. 900 re-
mains 10 the Treasury or is paid out to
the sugar people.
Speaking of sugar, there is Il belief
here that a clause in the new tariff bill
opens a way to keep the sugar trust
from raising the price of sugar to an
outrageous figure. The bill provides
for a 40 per ceUt advalorem duty upon
raw sugar and an additional one-eight
of a cent IL pound on all sugar above
number 10 Dutch standard in color aud
upon all sugar that has been discolored
in plain English. npon refined sugar.
But in the next paragraph it is pro-
vided that the duty upon all sugars
after being refined when "t%inctured,
cOlored or in any way adulterated"
shall be 35 per cent ad valorem. Under
this last paragraph it is believed that
refined sugar raj be brought 10. as it
would be easy to color it 10 sotne harm
less manner. Ii this shall turn out to
be correct it would compel the sugar
trust to keep its prices within bounds
for fear of the foreign competition.
The departments are all closed to-day,
Congress having at the last session
made the first Monday in September a
legal holiday, to be known as Labor
Day. The day was celebrated by the
Labor organizations which all took part
in IA big street parade.
Lots of t%omfoolery is being sent out
of Washington concerning the alleged
discord among the democrats who COM
pose the Congressional campaign CON-
mittee. There ia no discard in the COM
mittee, which is doing all that il was
expected to do in the campaign.
Secretary Gardner, who lie constantly at
the committee headquarters, said when
asked what he thought Of the out.
look 1T all depends upon the tariff
bill. Nearly every Congressional dis
trict in the U. s. is interested in some
way or another 10 this tariff bill. A
paragraph which will please the people
in one district will not please those in
adjoining districts. What will suit the
voters of an eastern state will not be
satisfactory % the Pacific coast. So
you car see how difficult it ia to FORE
cast results until we know more of how
the tariff bill is being received by the
rank and file of the voters. VT do not
expect to retain our present large MAJ
jortty in the House, but we do expect to
elect q majority of its members"