The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-12-25
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

lSOA = iattilOu tAiG OOOSOIlC vi tll6
consultation of Senators and Repre-
sentatiyes of the party, which have
been a feature OF the first week of
Congress. With the exception of a
few silver bolters, the party in both
branches of Congress is unit as to
be done in the near future. Without
majority in the Senate the party is
powerless to force tariff or any other
legislation at this session of Congress,
but the mischievous silver element in
the Senate, led by Allen, the Nebraska
populist, have already been taught
that the republican Senators do not
intend to lose any opportunities to
to pass the Dingley bill at the present
session. These would-be mischief
makers started out with the mistaken
idea that the republicans were afraid
of the Dingley bill and that they
Nuld so demonstrate to the country !;
they may find themselves prepared to
go on record as the opponents of in
creasing the revenues of the govern
ment before the short session closes,
by being forced to vote on the Diqley
bill.
The republican members of the
House committee on Ways and Means
have once more demonstrated that the
republican party never shirks its re-
sponslbilities and always keeps prom
ises made to to the people, by deciding
to begin at once the preparation of a
protective tariff bill, to be passed at
the extra session of the next Congress.
No man in Congress is better fitted to
preside over those preparations than
is Chairman Dingley OF that commit
tee, anb no man is better fitted to di-
rect the department of the govern
nent charged with the administration
of the tariff law should President Nc
Kinley see fit to make him his Sec
retary of the Treasury, as many be-
lieve he will.
There are probably not 20 men in the
country who are so we'll posted on the
tariff as Mr.. Dingley is, and this is
fortunate both for the coun-
try and for the republican party, as it
is the intention to make the new tariff
bill the best we have ever had-no cat
ering to favorite industries, as th e
present law does, but equitable pro-
lection for all, and at the same time
revenue enough to meet the need of
the government. It is in a sense an
innovation for the Ways and Means
committee of one house prepare bill
for the next house, but it happens to
be all right in this case, as every re-
publican member of the present COM
mittee has been reelected to the next
House and will be certain to retain
their committee places because
Speaker Reed will be chosen Speaker
OF the next House without republican
The Ways and Means Committee
has already held formal meeting and
assigned the work of preparing the
different schedules of the new tariff
bill to the individual member of the
Committee best fitted to handle them,
and hearing of the Representatives Of
different industries will at once be
arranged for. One of the mistakes of
the past which will be avoided by the
new bill will be the heavy importation
of foreign goods and the consequent
injury of our own manufactures and
working men. This will. be done by
providing that dutiable goods in bond
ed warehouse at the date upon which
the new bill becomes law shall pay
duty under the new and not the old
aw.
Noone was greatly surprised when
certain democratic Senators-sixteen
of them-tried to kill the bill forbid
ding the landing any immigrant be-
tween the ages of 16 and 60 years who
is unable to read five lines of the u. S.
Constitution in some printed language,
by postponing its consideration until
January. But the decisive manner in
which these Senators, working in the
interest of Steamship Companies
rather than to raise the standard of
our foreign born citizens, were sat up
on by thirty-seyen Senators indicates
almost to o certainty that the bill viii
be passed before the holiday recess
The house during its first week
passed the regular Pension Appropria-
ton bill, several important postal bills,
a number of miscellaneous measures
and private pension bills, and bill
prohibiting the sale of liquor in the
Capitol building, and this week an
other one of the appropriation bills
will be reported and probably passed.
1t is strictly business body, IS has
been every House presided over by
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