Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1897-02-13
IMrlIoRATIoN BILL attended.
Canadians Want Reciprocity Nicara-
qua Canal Bill Dead.


grafton bill will have to go back to
the House, as the Senate rejected the
conference report on the bill and fur
Their amended it by providing that IL
literate wives and minor children OF
immigrants who can meet the re-
quirements Of the bill may be limit
ted. 1t was stated that Mr.. Cleve-
land had said that he would veto the
bill if it were sent to him with the
clause which would have admitted the
husband who could read and shut out
his wife and children over fifteen
years of age who could not be left in
it. 1t was also that clause upon
which most of the opposition to the
bill in the House was based; conse-
quently the bill is now reasonably
certain to become law.
A conference with Speaker Reed
and other Re publican leaders of the
House having convinced the Senators
who have advocated the Nicaragua
Canal Bill that the bill would not even
be considered by the House at this
session, no matter whether the Senate
passed it or not, those gentlemen
have decided to drop the canal bill
and allow it to join the great aggre-
cation of legislative mighthave-
beens.
Senator Sherman has announced
his intention to endeavor to get the
Senate to take up the Arbitration
treaty for consideration at once. but
there are several reasons which make
it doubtful whether the Senate will
during the present session devote
enough time to the treaty to dispose
of it. The session is rapidly drawing
to close, and besides the appropr;a-
ton bills there are a number of other
impo tant measures upon which the
Senate ought to act. In addition
there is a growing opposition to the
treaty among the Silver Senators.
Two members of the Canadian gov
eminent, the Minister of Trade ard
Commerce, and the Minister of Marine
and Fisheries, arrived in Washington
authorized to offer certain trade con-
cessions in exchange for duties low
enough in the new tariff bill to allow
Canadian farmers to dispose of their
products in the United States just in
time to learn that the Ways and
Means Committee had informally
agreed to the agricultural schedule
which prescribes duties high enough
to practically shut the Canadian farm
ers out of our market. They will en-
deavor to secure a reconsideration or
the part of the Committee by offering
special inducements in the way o.
concessions to certain of our goods
ane products, but the Committee had
already gone over the matter very
carefully and been convinced that
Canadian competition was running
our farmers, in sections OF the coun'
try, without being of any special ben
eft to anybody except the Canadians
under the low duties of the present
tariff bill, and it is not likely tc
change
In their zeal to give their papers
the news of the progress that is being
made on the tariff bill some wei
meaning Washington correspondents
have been making great deal of un
necessary trou ole for the Committee
by sending the rates left in schedule:
that have been informally considered
by the Committee TO their papers with
the statement that they have beer
definitely agreed upon. Neither
Chairman Dingley nor any other
uCIuDCI Vi lliS Will NOuSlei
er any duty definitely decided upon
until the entire bill is ready to be re.
ported. They do not wish to be com
mended or condemned for fractions o.
the bill but for the whole measure
which will be made public when it is
completed.
The Senate Com mittee on Elections
having decided not to reopen the Du-
Pont case, no objection was made. to
the swearing in Of Senator Kenhey,
OF Delaware, but Senator Chandler
took advantage of the occasion 10
state his belief that the seat belonged
rightfully to Col. Dupont, belief il
is needless to say, that is shared by
every Republican Senator, and which
was voted by them at the last session
when the Populists joined the Demo-
Gratis and refused by bare majority
to allow Col. DUPONT to be seated.