Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-15
CONGRESSMAN HIT
He Has Returned, Recovered in
Health, Ready for Work.
His EQUIPMENT FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Does Not Expect Much LeqisIa
ton Next Winter.
RESULTS OF THE ELECTION

Representative Hit of Illinois is in the
| city, and will remain here until the meet
| ing of Congress. Last summer and spring
| Mr. Hit was dangerously i'll from an at
| tack of the grip, contracted during the last
| days of Congress. HIS condition was so
| serious that many of his friends feared he
| would be unable to take any prominent
part in the work of Congress during the
present session, as his recovery at that
time was looked upon as doubtful, or at
least it was thought that should he recover
| he would not gain sufficient strength to
| stand the strain of congressional work.
1t is a great qualification to Mr.. Hits
| friends, and is regarded as important for
| the future of his party during the Fifty
| fourth Congress, that he has recovered from
| his long illness. Star reporter called on
| Mr.. Hit today at his K street residence,
and found him picture of health. He now
turns the scales at great weight he
| did during the early days of the last Con-
gress, and is in much better condition than
| he was during the latter part of :he last
| ses sion, when he had suffered the strain of
| much hard work. His strength is hardly
equal at present to what 1t was a year
ago, but in this regard he is daily advanc-
| ing, and there Is no likelihood that he will
| be unable to enter into important work
| with all necessary vigor.
| His Position In the House.
Mr.. Hits position on the republican side
Of the House Of Representatives Is a pecu-
| liar and important one. While there are
| many men in the House who might lie
| given the chairman ship Of the finance, ap-
preparation or ways and means committee,
| and a number of them who would be
| garded thoroughly qualified for such
places. the committee on foreign affairs
| has before it work Of such a character that
| very few men, indeed, could qualify them
| selves to satisfactorily fill the place of
chairman on short notice. The chairman
| ship of the committee on foreign affairs
| quires not only man able to grasp inter-
| national questions, but who is thor
| oughly familiar with international law, and
what is more difficult to find in a member
of Congress, enc who understands the un-
| written law of diplomacy and the workings
| of the State Department. Mr.. Hit is
garded as possessing these qualifications to
| a high degree, and during the last Congress
| he was always the leader on the republican
side in the discussion of foreign affairs. BY
general consent 1t has been thought that
without doubt Mr.. Hit will be appointed
chairman of the committee on foreign af
| fairs. At the time of his illness II said
| that Mr. Reed was taking into serious con-
| sderation the necessity for suggesting to
some other member the desirability of Eav-
| ing him spend a large part of the summer
| months in familiariZng himself with the
| work likely to come before the committee
on foreign affairs, that in the event of
Mr.. Hits continued illness there would be
| some one to take the craftsmanship of that
committee, which it is thought will play
| one of the most, If not the most, important
| role in legislation during the next two
| years.
| Now that Mr.. Hit has recovered from
his serious illness, his appointment to the
| Craftsmanship of the committee on foreign
| affairs is regarded as settled. When The
| Star reporter called on Mr.. Hit today he
found him at work in his private office.
Not Much Legislation Expected.
| II have not seen the Capitol since that
Saturday night, or rather Sunday morn
| Ing at o'clock, when left the building,
| unable to longer take part in the work of
| the House through the effects of the grip"
said Mr.. Hit. THE medicine required for
curing the grip he continued. lis very
| simple one. All that is needed in the early
stages is for one to go to bed; but there is
the temptation to keep at work, with the
idea that in a day or two the trouble will
pass. That simple medicine is what few peo-
pie can be induced to take in time to avoid
| serious illness. 1 was engaged in en-
des voring to put an amendment on the ap-
| preparation bill providing for the laying of
| cable between the United States and
| Hawaii when 1 was taken sick"
DO you think the next Congress will en-
act much legislation" the reporter asked
II do not how expect much
| legislation in the Fifty-fourth Congress.
The only measures that we can certainly
enact into law are measures of no partic-
| ular interest to any one party. If meas
| ure comes up strongly republican or demo-
| cratic we can easily see where 1t would be
lost. But there will be opportunity for a
good deal of wholesome legislation in the
correction of old laws"
| "Wil there be any effort on the part of
| the republicans to pass tariff legislation"
| why speak of effort unless there could
ha al off of nd
| Cleveland is in the White House. We will
undoubtedly have to provide revenue for the
wants of the treasury, and this legislation
will doubtless be along republican lines of
protection. There must be an increase of
| revenue unless 1t is a fixed policy of the
democracy 20 have the government run
deeper and deeper into debt by the issuance
of bonds in times of peace"
Result of the Elections.
"How do you regard the result of the late
| elections?'
| After the elections of year ago it was
| said by many people that that was merely
| the swinging of the political pendulum.
| They said the pendulum had swung toward
| the democracy and was then returning to-
ward republicanism. But the elections of
| this month show conclusively that the trend
| Of public opinion toward republicanism was
not the swinging of a pendulum 1t was
simply the drift of public opinion toward
Wnat was regarded after mature consider
| alton to be better principles of govern
ment This change in public Judgment has
| come after convincing discussion
| Il do not know how much weight should
be given to the internal discords of the dem
| ocratic party as affecting Maryland and
| Kentucky. but our friends have contended
| that Maryland is republican state and has
| been for some time. and that this fact
| would have been shown if the people could
| have voted before. A republican victory is
| in accord with what good many prominent
| democrats implied in their statements he
| fore the ways and means committee A
| great many democrats, after the passage of
| the Wilson bill. said they had favored
| changes in our tariff, but not the destruction
| of the industries of the people, which
| were doing fairly well, and which it was
| hoped would do better. think many votes
| were influenced for these reasons among
! the plain laboring people, whose condition
was affected injuriously by the reduction of
| the tariff.