Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-06-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Special Correspondence

WAsHINaToN, D. c., June ii '97.
President Mckinley will digest the
official report of Consul General Lea
and the report of Special Commissioner
Calhoun before his return to Washing
ton from she Nashville Exposition, and
will then finally decide upon his policy
towards Cuba. 1t is not expected,
however, that any public announce
ment of that will be made until q new
Minister has been sent to Spain. Ex-
Gov. Cox, Of Ohio, has been asked to
take that position and he will decide
by the time the President returns to
Washington.
The Democrats a not hide their
chagrin and disappointment at the
harmonious action of the Republican
Senators on the tariff bill. 1t has en-.
tirely upset all Democratic c~alcula.
tons, They had expected that the Re-
publicans would be divided and that
they could take advantage of the divis-
ion to secure changes in the bill and to
prolong the debate indefinitely. In
stead OF that they find the Republicans
presenting q solid front,and refusing to
be tainted into unnecessary debate.
Unless the Democrats change their
tactics and resort to open obstruction
ID delay the bill it will probably pass
the Senate before the first of July, and,
judging from the spirit shown by the
Senators in steadfastly drifting towards
the schedules of the House bill, not
more than ten days will be required to
reach an agreement in conference on
the Senate amendments to the bill.
Unfortuna tely it is in the power of the
Democrats, II they dare to face public
opinion and do it, to change this pleas.
ing outlook. but as things now look it
is not an exaggerated prediction to say
that the tariff bill may become a law
in aIponth from this time.
/ Senator Bacon, Of Ca, has the honor
OF having offered the first amendment
to the tariff bill that has been adopted
without the endorsement of the Repub.
lican steering committee, and the first
strictly protective amendment to be
fathered by a Democrat and voted for
by as many as six Democrats. Some
OF the steering committee schedules
have received the votes of one or two
Democrats, but when Senator Bacon's
amendment putting a duty of twenty
per cent advalorem on raw cotton was
voted upon it vas supported by the
following Democrats: Bacon and Clay,
of Georgia; Tillman and McLaurin, of
South Carolina; McEnry, of Louisiana,
and Rawlins, of Utah, and by all the
Republicans present, and was passed
by a vote of AZ to 10 This action
on the part of these Democrats nearly
caused Senators Jones, of Arkansas,
and Vest, of Missouri, who are Jointly
leading the Democrats, to throw a fit
or two right on the floor of the Senate.
There are several other Democratic
Senators who would vote for protection
if they had the nerve to follow their
inclinations.
Senators German, Jones and other
Democrats are crossing q bridge before
they get to it, by declaring that the
Democrats will not allow legislation
authorizing the appointment of cur.
rency commission to investigate and
report to Congress their conclusions as
to how our present currency system
might be improved, to be passed by
Congress at this session.
The new sugar schedule of the tariff
bill, which with two changes is the
Dingley schedule, is far more satisfac-
tory than al the one constructed by
the Senate Finance Committee, and it
will be still more satisfactory if those
two changes are struck out when the
bill goes to conference.
President McKinley's last act before
departing for Nashville was to send a
batch OF important diplomatic nomina-
tons to the Senate. Among them were
those of Henry L. Wilson, a brother of
Senator Wilson, Of the State of Wash
ington, 10 be Minister 10 Chill; Will
liam F. Powell, a colored man, of New
Jersey, to be Minister to Haiti; John c..
Leishman. of Pennsylvania, to be Min
lister to Switzerland, and John F.
Convey, of the State of Washington, to
be Consul General at Kanagawa, japan.
Among other nominations sent in at
the same time were those of Robert s.
Pearson, of South Dakota, to be Deputy
Auditor for the Interior Department.;
Daniel A., Gresvenor, of Maryland, a
brother of Representative Grosvenor,
OF Ohio, to be Deputy Auditor for the
War Department, and May Mosby
Campbell, a daughter of Col. John s.
MOsby, to be pos @aster at warrentOn,
Virginia,
The Post oace Department has been