The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-01-07
Washington Letter.
(From Our Regukr Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. l, 1887.
Chairman Dingley has proven him
self to be the right man in the
right place since the tariff |
hearings began before the House
Ways and Means committee. The
gentlemen who have appeared before
the committee have mostly been con-
sidered experts upon the particular
matters about which they spoke, and
some of them have been greatly sur
prised to learn by Chairman Dingley's
comments and questions that he knew
as much or more about the subject
than they did. In other words, the
experts upon particular schedules or
branches Of the tariff have learned
that Chairman Dingley is an expert
on all branches of the tariff. With
out exception every man who has
been beard by the committee has con-
demned the democratic idea Of i'm
posing duty on the value of the ar
ticle Cad valorem, Jas the present tariff
does, as an incentive to fraud and an
injustice to the honest importer. One
gentleman called. attention to the
fact that Turkey was now the only
country besides the United States
that used the ad valorem system. 1t
had long ago been settled by the re.
publicans that the new tariff bill
would impose specific duties.
Republican advices from North
Carolina say the reelection of Sena-
tor Prichard is now fully assured,
notwithstanding the opposition of
Senator Marion Butler, an opposition
which some call treachery. The news
from Kentucky is not so assuring,
owingto party factions among the
republicans which are being worked
for all they are worth by both wings
of the democratic party. The gold
democrats hope the republicans will
fail to elect Senator because they
will then try to get republican votes
for Carlisle or some other gold demo
crat, and the silver democrats want
them to fail because they believe the
legislature can then be deadlocked
and the election thrown over to the
next legislature which they expect to
control. If the republicans of Ken
lucky legislature are wise they will
get together and elect senator.
~
Secretary Lamont has issued an Of
fetal order directing the attendance
of the cadets of the West Point Mill
tary academy at the Inauguration of
President elect Mckinley, and SINH
lar order to the naval cadets at Ann
apolis is expected from Secretary
Herbert. These cadets have not TAX
en- part in an inaugural parade since
President Grants second Inaugural
ton; when their exposure without
overcoats to the terrible weather of
that day resulted in several deaths
and much sickness.
Xxx
A national convention which neces-
sarily attracts less attention from the
general public than the Importance
| of it's work deserves has been in ses-
sion here this week. It is the Geo.
logical Society of America, and this
is it's ninth annual convention. The
society has 240 members, most of
them connected with the national or
state geological bureaux and educa-
tional institutions. Miss Florence
Bacon, of Pa, who is in attendance.
is the only woman who has the honor
of membership in the society.
Xxx
The permanent headquarters of the
Republican National committee are
now regularly open in Washington
for the transaction of business. Sec
rotary Perkins is in charge and his
terse statement, eve are in for t1>.
war for four years." tells the purpose
in view. The committee will continue
to send sound republican literature
where it will do the most good, and
invites demands from individuals as
we'll as from state and county COM
mittees.
The democratic members of the
House Ways and Means committee
didn't seem to know "where they
were at" when Mr.. w. r. Craig, of
Vicksburg, Miss, who appeared be-
fore the committee as the representa-
tive of "extra" or long-staple cotton
in Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas
and Louisiana, asked for duty of 3
cents pound upon Egyptian cotton,
which comes in direct competition
with their product in the New Eng
land Market. Representative Wheel
er, of Ald., whose constituents raise
cotton, but not of the kind that the
Egyptian article completes with, got
hot under the collar, and after spit
ting out some rot about "the south
selling its birthright for a mess of
pottage, by asking for this protection"
started to leave the hearing, but be-
fore doing SO said, in reply to Repre-
sentative Payne that the birthright
referred to consisted of Stree institu
tons, free trade, free everything."
Somebody in the crowd remarked,