The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-07-30

Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

! President Mckinley has had to
abandon attending the dedication of
the Logan statue in Chicago, owing to
the delay in disposing of the tariff
bill. He did so very reluctantly, as
he was particularly anxious to be
there, but, of course, duty came first.
He did not wish to be away from
Washington when the tariff bill is
finally acted upon by Congress, as it is
certain to be this week, now that the
conferees have reached an agreement,
Notwithstanding the threat of a coterie
OF democratic and populist Senators
to delay the acceptance of the confer
ence report by the Senate. These
threats were probably made for effect
before the agreement was reached, as
nothing can be gained by delaying the
acceptance of the report and even
democrats and populists are not likely
to engage in butting their heads
against the rock wall of public opinion
when they can get nothing by doing
so.
The country is to be congratulated
that the House conferees had their
way about the important schedules Of
the tariff bill; also the republican
party, and the result is largely due to
the practical unanimity of the repub-
lican press. in declaring the House
schedules to be preferable to those of
the Senate. This was especially true
OF the sugar schedule, the most trouble
some of them ALL To have agreed to
the Senate schedule would have fur
nished the opponents of the republi
can party with a great deal of cam
paign material without aiding any
American industry or adding to the
revenues of the Government. This
fact was fully recognized by Speaker
Reed and the Republican members of
the House, and too much credit can
not be given them for taking the stand
that the Senate schedule would, under
no circumstances be agreed to by the
House. Quite number Of republican
Senators also assisted in the good work
by condemning the Senate sugar
schedule. ~
The tariff bill as it now stands, is
not perfect,-nothing of human con-
struction is-but it is good bill, and
will be endorsed by all who believe in
a protective tariff, and will add to the
believers in protection. It will enable
many thousand Americans to get the
profitable employment they have been
without for four years, and will, at the
same time, produce all the revenue
needed to run the government. No
one man deserves more credit ior this
bill than Chairman Dingley, whose
name the bill bears. Since last De-
cember, he has worked early and late
on the measure, and if the Dingley
tariff proves as popular as its support
ers expect, who knows but it's author
may not in the course of time be as
highly rewarded as was the author of
TIE Mckinley tariff. Here's hoping
that Dingley times may be as prosper
GUS as Mckinley times, and am sure
that Mr. Dingley would rather see the
country prosper than to be President.
There is little probability that this
government will take any notice of
Japan's supplementary protest against
the annexation of Hawaii, not because
of any particular desire to snub Japan,
but because Secretary Sherman's reply
to Japan's first protest covered the
ground SO fully that no other answer
is needed. The action of the Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations in
favorably reporting the annexation
treaty without dissenting voice, was
additional notice to Japan, and all the
rest of the world, that annexation is
going to be accomplished regardless of
the opinions or wishes of other ma
tions.
No official of the administration nor
member of either branch of Congress
takes seriously the English-made ru-
NOR that Spain and Japan had formed
an alliance to make war upon the
United States Nobody in Washing.
ton would be the slightest bit worried
even If it were known that such an al
lance was an accomplished fact. in
stead of being an English attempt to
scare somebody, as a means of "get-
ting even" for the truthful statement
of the tricky conduct of the English
government, made in Secretary Sher-
mans instructions to Ambassador
Hay, concerning the seal fisheries ne
gotiations. It was not intended that
these instructions should be made
public at this time, but they were OBJ
tanned by wide-awake newspaper man
and printed The publication has
m ado fho Eno1ish editors very mad at