Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-03-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondent

t9pedheI hctu DtlltNtS lllaL tDleSs
something now unlocked for shall
occur to prevent. congress can easily
adjourn by June |. Present indica-
tions are that the senators are just
as anxious for an early adjournment
as members of the house are. The
house IS unusually we'll advanced
upon the appropriation bills and, un-
less there shall be a wrangle over
the river and harbor appropriation
bill which will be the last one re-
ported, all Of them will have passed
that branch Of congress before the
middle of April. The idea Of any
tariff or financial legislation at this
session has been almost, if not quite
entirely abandoned by everybody.
The at times exciting debate in the
senate last week on the report of the
senate concurrent Cuban resolutions
has been highly entertaining to the
crowded galleries, but when censid-
cred as a whole it is extremely diff
cult to see what was the use Of it all.
So long as the president did not send
the Spanish minister his passports
for having so far forgotten his posi-
tion as to have used the columns Of
a newspaper to question statements
made by senators, it would have been
more dignitied for the senate to have
ignored him. But this isn't the first
time that the senate has chosen TO be
talkative rather than dignified.
When the senate adopted It's original
Cuban resolution the time for speech
making on that subject should have
endeed.
It seems that Secretary Hoke
smith has not abandoned the idea Of
capturing the seat in the L. S. senate
which Gen. Gordon will vacate next
March. This was shown by his viz
tually compelling the Southern Rail-
way, which has recently secured con-
troll of the Georgia Southern and
Florida railroad, to appoint one of
his friends attorney for the latter
road in Georgia. Secretary Smith
recently complained TO the head Of
the syndicate which controls the
Southern Railway that the Georgia
attorney for that corporation was
using his position against his
(Smith'D senatorial aspirations ana
in favor of eX-Speaker Crisp. The
railroad man not deeming it advisa-
BILE to quarrel with the secretary of
the interior, and not daring to re-
move the attorney of whom Mr..
Smith complained, who is a son Of
one of the owners of the Atlanta
Constitution, told Mr. Smith that he
might have one of his friends APP
pointed Georgia attorney for the G..
:. and f. road. Mr.. Smith named
Mr.. John /. Hall, who has resigned
the position Of assistant attorney
general for the interior department
TO go to Georgia and look after the
Smith boom, and incidentally the in
terests Of the railroad that will pay
his salary and the Southern Rail-
way now has a pull on both sides.
There is some very plain talk in
the majority report Of the senate
committee on privileges and cleo
tons in favor of Senator Aliens reso-
luton for the investigation of the
election of the Alabama Legislature
which elected Senator Morgan. For
instance, the report says: The case
is not merely one of local frauds
which happened here and there over
the state, but is that of willfully
planned and deliberately manufac-
tured masses of fraudulent returns,
based upon no votes whatever, but
made to apparently defeat state
government that was actually chosen
and to give apparent title to state
government defeated by the voters
The report says there isn't the slight
est 'oubt Of the right Of the senate
60 make this investigations, and inti-
mates that if made Senator Morgan
may lose his seat.
Representative Hopkins, Of ILL.,,
has been made chairman of sub
committee Of the house ways and
means committee which Will devote
the whole of this week to public
hearings Of those who have informa-
ton concerning the practical opera
tion of tie reciprocity treaties nego-
tiated by the Harrison administra-
ton. and the effect Of their repeal by
the democratic congress; also rs TO
obstacles i'll the tariff or customs
regulations al foreign countries tend
ing t. retard the growth Of our eN-
port trade.