The Opelousas courier., 1897-06-05
Washington Letter.
From Il Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, MAY 81

SAA oAo 4AO oAh p" NV y
of things and not get frightened off
when on the track of information that
would incriminate Senators-wOuld be
a good and desirable thing to have, but
another fizzle like the last one would
be worse than useless, because it would
do more harm than good. The people
recognize a job of white washing as
quickly when it is done by Senators as
by humber weilders of the brush.
Senator Jones, of Nevada, who was in
ferrentially charged by Senator Aldrich
with having given out the schedule be-
fore the tariff bill was reported to the
on Contingent Expenses, to which Sen
ator Tillman's resolution fora sugar in
vestigation by II committee of five Sen
atOrs was referred, and he says the
committee will report tho measure ia
vorably. That makes it reasonably
certain that the resolution will be
adopted, because a number of Senators
who would like to vote against it will
not dare to do 80. 1t will all depend
upon thp formation of the investiga-
ting committee whether it will mean
business or a farce. Senator Tillmap
will be Chairman of the Committee.
If he ID given four colleagues as fear
less as himself, tho guilty Senators, if
there ba any such, will be brought to
book, AID the sugar trust, the head of
which got cleared on that Indictment
will also be shown mp; but if he be
given colleagues who are afraid of their
shadows, nothing will come of the in
v%estisatiOn.
The Republican Steering Committee
in the Senate is slowly but surely un-
doing the work of the subcommittee
that prepared the amendment to
tie DINGHY tariff bill, and by the time
the bill gets through the Senate, the
rate of duties imposed therein
will average almost or quite as high as
the DINGHY bill. The tax on tea and
the increased tax on beer are doomed,
and We are likely to have an internal
revenue tax on bank checks, mortgages,
etc, in their places, unless the Repub-
licans get frightened out of the idea by
protests.
Mr.. Il. G. Peyton, a well known Va.
gold Democrat, thus sizes up the pres
ent situation cit seems to me now
that those of us who have contributed
to the success of the Republican ticket
have been victims of a confidence
game. AS | view. it now, a very great
mistake was made last November. 1t
would have been much better for the |
country to have elected Mr.. Bryan. |
believe in sound money as strong as |
ever, but | am satisfied that il Bryan
had been elected. the country would
have recovered more quickly from the
ills that have afflicted it,
Speaker Reeds readiness to reverse
rulings made by him as Speaker aud
opinions given by him as an authority
on parliamentary law would be anus
ing, il the matter was not of too serious
a nature to be 81 regarded. Whatever
standing as an authority ON parliament
tary rules Mr.. Reed had previous to the
present session of Congress, has been
lost by his decisions, which have made
it plain that lie recognizes nothing |
higher than his own will in making de-
cisiOns. Heretofore many people VITO
disagreed with Mr.. Reeds parliament
tary rulings in many particulars have
been willing to give him credit for con-
scientious belief in them himself, but
they are not now, After all Mr.. Reed
Republican members OF the House
could at any time rebuke the methods
pursued by Mr.. Reed, by voting with the
Democrats, but they have not done and
are not likely to do SO. On the contra
ry, if Mr.. Reed should rule that the
Chaplain's prayer was out of order and
a Democrat appeal from the ruling, the
Republicans would almost to a man
vote to sustain the Speaker. With the
Republicans in the House, it is not a
question Of which is right to do, but of
what Reed wants them to do. Senator
Morgan was doubtless out of order
when he made that stirring attack up
on Speaker Reed and the House on the
floor of the Senate, but the attack was
certainly deserved and Senator Nor
gan's assertion that the present meth
DDS of the House are not constitutional
is receiving close attention, and NAV
result in a change.
The selection Of Whitelaw Reid and
his brother-in-law, Ogden Mills, to be
Special Ambassador and
Secretary to the Ambassador to
represent the United States at the
Queens Jubilee ceremonies in London,
is another indication of Mr.. Mckinley's
to cater to the wealthy.
White!aw Reid, thanks to his father
in-law's money and some never yery
explained business manipula-
tons, acquired a controlling interest in
the paper established by Horace Gree
ley, and later by political trickely, cot
Levi p. Morton turned down by the Ma
tional Convention and himself substi-
for Benjamin Harrison's running
in his last campaign. These NAV
reasons why he should be especially
never been anything but an idle So
ciety man should be honored is mex
plainable on any other ground than
that OF money-worship On the part of
Mr.. Mckinley.