Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1897-01-09
sENAToR woLcoTT,s MISSION.
Cuban Affairs Tariff Hearings =
Hanging up Nominations.
From our regular correspondent

message 10 congress on AuDan aHdlIS,
which report says he has prepared
during the recess, but his action in
ordering the cruiser Vesuvius and the
dispatch boat Dolphin to proceed to
Florida waters and join the U. S. yes
sells already there in preventing fill
clustering, is notification to Con
gress that the administration has not
III the slightest changed its attitude
towards Cuba. Conservative men in
the Senate will endeavor to privately
argue with those Senators who are re-
garded as likely to make incendiary
speeches on the Cameron resolution,
in order to have them not speak at all,
or at any rate if they do speak, not to
use language calculated to excite the
country. There is no question that
the conservative men in both branch
es of Congress, regardless of their
personal opinion about what should
ultimately be done by this govern
ment, believe that as long as the mat
ter has been allowed to stand up to
this time, it will be wisest to leave it
Enacted upon until the change of ad :
m1nistration And it is the opinion
of your correspondent that whatever
the Senate may do, the House will
take this view of the matter and will
do nothing
The fact most strongly brought out
by the first week the tariff hearings
before the House Ways and Means
| Committee is that, taken as a whole,
the men VINO have appeared before
the committee have taken a common
sense business view of the tariff, and
have asked for nothing that could not
be granted without violating the an
nounced intention of the committee
to make moderate tariff bill--just
enough protection to give our own
manufacturers, producers and work
ing men the first call on the Ameri-
can market, admittedly the best in
the world. Needless to say that
Chairman Dingley and his Republi-
can colleagues on the Committee are
pleased with the hearings as far as
they have gone. 1t would have been
waste of time for anybody to have
asked unreasonable things, but it is
none the less pleasing that they have
not done SO.
The House reassembles with pro-
gramme mapped out for week S
work, outside Of the appropriation
bills, which are being steadily pushed
ahead by the committees. Tuesday
and Wednesday the Loud bill shut
ting novels. books published serially
and sample copies of newspapers out
of the privilege of being sent through
the mai at pound rates will be dis
cussed and disposed of The fate of
the bill is in doubt with the chances
slightly in favor of its being defeated
by small margin. Thursday the
Pacific railroad funding bill will be
taken up, and after four days discus
sion it will be voted upon. The gen
eral impression is that it will pass,
although its opponents will make
strong fight against it, and are claim
ing that they can defeat it.
While Republicans in Congress
have nothing but good wishes to ex-
press towards the trip Senator VOL
colt has undertaken for the purpose
Of ascertaiuing what is thought in
Europe of the proposed effort to bring
about international bimetailism, which
this Congress will authorize, and
which will be made early in the adj
ministration of President Mckinley,
they do not wish the statement to 60
uncontradicted that Senator Wolcott
went upon this errand at the request
Of the Republican caucus committee
of which he is chairman, or Of Presi-
dent elect Mckinley. This contra
diction can best be given in Senator
Wolcott own words; 81 am going
solely at the request of the Bimetaliic
League to examine into the general
sentiment on the subject throughout
the world, and report to the League.
l 60 informally and unofficially, and
I deprecate any publication which in
Inmates anything else. The League
desires to know before the extra ses-
sion of Congress is called, exactly
what the situation is. I expect to be
able to return and make my report
within two months. cannot say
what my course will be abroad, ex-
ca,,t tLot Will fret C0ueu1t with the