The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-12-23
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WAsu1NaroN. DC. Dec. 20. 1sa

upon Un6 COUIlng together Oh COHSf6SS
! and who entertained fears that the
problems which that body must take
up would prove difficult of solution,
are likely to be happily disappointed.
| Currency, the Cuban question, Hawaii,
public revenues, public expenditures
these are the chief subjects which
Congress is expected to consider, and
there were people in the business
world especially who felt that by rea-
! son of the lack of a Republican ma
| jority in the Senate solution of these
problems would be difficult to reach.
| While no definite results have, Of
| course, been attained in these impOr-
| tant subjects il the brief time which
| Congress has been in session, there is
! good reason to believe that the prob
lens may be more easily solved than
! had been anticipated, and in u way
which will not only he satisfactory,
| but prevent any disturbance to bust
ness conditions which had been feared
as Z possible, il not probable, result.
The Treasury figures are being care
fully watched by those who are inter.
estcd as to the question of whetheI, Or
not the Dingley law is going to pro
duce sufficient revenue to meet run
ming expenses. Treasury officials who
are watching its operations closely be
! lieve that its revenue in the next tis-
cal year will equal and probably eX-
coed the expenditures. Mr.. Dingley
shows that the revenue collected on
the anricipatory importatious during
the four months prior to the enact
ment Of this law were nearly 4O,0G0,-
000, all Of which would have been col
lected under the present law had the
! ilnpOrtatiOns prior to its enactment
been only normal. He predicts that
tie December receipts, excluding
those from the Pacific railroads, Will
equal the December expenditures and
that long before the fiscal year is end
ed the receipts under the Ding!ey law
will be sufficient to meet all running
expenses and produce ii surplus in
the next fiscal year to at least ten
million dollars. There is a general
feeling at least that the new law
should lie permitted to show what it
can do under normal conditions and
if at any time it should be found ad-
visable toincrease therevenUes, which,
however, is not probable, it would be
accomplished without any general
Disturbance of the present law or read
iustment of its rates.
The sensational suggestions of ex-
Minister Taylor that the people OF the
United States should rise and demand
instant action, irrespective of its pros
pectiye effects upon the country and
its relations with other parts of the
world, 60 not seem to have met with
any repose on the part of the people
Members Of Congress report their con
stituents well satisfied apparently
with the developments thus far and
quite willing to trust the administra-
ton, which has handled the matter
with such success. both in obtaining
the release Of ell American citizens in
Cuban prisons and seeing its recon-
mendatiOns to Spain followed by pro
positions of an offer of autonomy
While the Cuban matter is not forgot
ten or overlooked by members of Con
&c, Il 70
the administration 70 carry out its
plans
1t will be remembered that there
We're many miegivings about the flu
ture Of the tariff bill in the Senate be-
cause of the fact that the Republican
party did not control that body, and
cannot during the present Congress.
The element which did control il, how
ever, saw that the public sentiment
was so strongly in favor of a public
tariff that a refusal to permit the pas
sage of a bill with those sentiments
with which they did not fully agree
would be resented by the people.
Now there are indications that the
same wise policy will bepursued with
reference TO the currency question.
President McKinley's proposition for
a retention in the Treasury of the U.
s. notes which are redeemed in gold,
and legislation which will bring an in
crease of national bank circulation by
an increase of the sum which they may
issue against their deposit of bonds, is
proving extremely acceptable and he
ing generally commended, not only by
a large majority of the members of
Congress, but by the people through
out the country, las is shown by reports
received here by members of both
houses of Congress. The fact that
this proposition seems to lay the foun-
dation for an easy transformation of
thecurrency system without the shock
to the business world which a sudden
change would produce, and without
increasing the interest bearing indebt-
| n1ppCS nonCoC II 10 In HrarN, ,Un Ix,