Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1896-12-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent

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From Our Regular Correspondence
WASHINGTON, d. G., Dec. IL
DEAR POSSIBILITIES you can buy us
several more senators it will be impos-
sible tot pay tariff dividend on tho i'll
vestment OF the late campaign"
While the above is not the exacs
wording of the message sentby the
caucus of republican senators to
King Hanna, it contains the SUBJ
stance and real meaning of the re-
quest of the caucus steering COM
mittee, that Mr.. Hanna shall try
to Influence" the election of sena
tors who will pledge themselves TO
act with the republicans on the
tariff, in several states. Among
the legislatures upon which the
republican senators desire Mr..
Hanna to try his Influence" are
those of North Carolina, Kentucky,
Washington and South Dakota.
If high tariff senators can be Sc
cured for all o. these, the passage
of a high tariff bill at the extra
session of the next congress will be
assured. Otherwise the matter
has been made very doubtful, with
the chances against high tariff, by
the action of the silver republicans
in declining invitations to enter
the republican senatorial caucus.
While the caucus of republican
senators did not by formal vote
abandon the Dingley tariff bill,
they did what was practically the
same thing when they referred it
to the steering committee and en-
powered that committee to act
upon its own judgment. Pressure
from the wooden manufacturers
may compel the republican sena-
tors to demonstrate by some sort
of vote, not necessarily on the
bill itself, that the Dingley hill
cannot pass, but the bill is as deed
as Ben Harl ison's force bill, so far
as any serious attempt to pass it is
concerned. The republicans
couldn't pass it if they wanted to,
and very few of them want to.
This was shown this week when
the bill was be ore the senate for
a few minutes ION Senator Aliens
motion to take it up, which was
carried by vote of IS to 21,) by
the CONSERVATION which existed
among the republicans who had
voted for the motion because they
we're afraid to do otherwise.
Representative Stokes of S. @.
has been served with notice of
double contest for his seat in the
present and in the next House.
DR.. Stokes came to Washington
last year with the proper certifi-
cate of election but his seat was
contested by Mr.. johnson a repub-
lican. Finding nothing in the case
upon which to base an excuse for
giving johnson the seat, the re-
publicans of the house declared
the seat vacant. The two men we're
again candidates and DR.. Stokes
was elected to the vacancy and
also to the next House. Johnson's
contest depends more upon the
republican majority than it does
upon any evidence he expects to
produce.
Senator Quay has astonished
those who thought they knew him,
not only by his change of tactics
he has heretofore been the most
silent of fghters-but by the
wording Of some Of his published
interviews against the candidacy
of Mr.. John Wanamaker for the
senate. For instance, when he
said: Gin the U. S. Senate, we have
millionaires and bushes men
enough to serve all legitimate pur-
poses. Senators are needed who
have no specialties but who will
act for the interest Of the country
in gross without special afinities.
The people most deserving Of re-
presentation and most in need of