Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-01-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Tariff Hearings Now 0n.--Inau-
guration Ball Preparations.
No Action Likely in the Cuban Matter
Mr.. Moneys Foolish Trip to
See General WeyIer.

Dingley, of the House Committee on
Ways and Means, and the other Re
publican members of that committee
opened the tariff hearings, which
are to be continued for two weeks,
to-day in the Ways and Means Com
mittee room at the Capitol, the first
days hearing being devoted to the
schedule which includes spirits,
wines, and other beverages. To-mor-
row it will be the cotton schedule, in
which there is an impression that
no extensive or very marked changes
will be made by the new tariff bill,
and on Wednesday the sugar and
molasses schedule will be dealt
with. Although it was expressly
stated in the notification of these
hearings that written or printed
arguments would receive the same
attention from the committee that
would be given to those orally de-
livered, the most of those interested
seem to have preferred sending
representatives to talk directly to
the committee.
The Inauguration preparations are
going merrily along and an enormous
quantity of work has already been
done. The Executive Committee
asked that a guarantee fund of $780,
900 be contributed by citizens of
Washington, and without doing any
personal soliciting, checks aggregat-
ing $4,000 are already in the hands
of the Treasurer of the Committee.
1t has practically been decided that
the Inaugural ball shall be held in
the Court of the Pension Building,
although the official announcement
to that effect will not be made until
the end of the red tape necessary to
be unwound in securing the consent
of Secretary Francis shall have been
reached. Some striking novelties in
the way of illumination are promised
by the subcommittee in charge of
that branch of the ceremonies.
Among the latest applications for ac-
commodations are those of fifty
members of the r. B. Hayes Club,
all of whom were members of Major
McKinley's old regiment, the 23rd
Ohio.
1t is daily becoming more certain
that the Republican majority of the
House regardless of the individual
opinion of members as to Cuba, will
not allow any action to be taken at
this session that is considered likely
to make war with Spain a probabil-
ity They feel thatit would not be
just either to President Mckinley or
to the fifty-fifth Congress, which will
so soon be in session, to take any
such action, even were there much
stronger reasons therefor than have
yet been brought forward; that
nothing but good can come of leav-
ing the matter where President Nc
Kinley, whose patriotism and cour-
age have both been tested, can have
some say about it, while nothing
but harm could come of precipitating
action that might give the new adj
ministration foreign war to handle
instead of beins able to devote all
its ability and energy to the restora-
tion of domestic prosperity.
Speaking of Cuba, not a little
amusement has been the result of
the announcement of what is often
est referred to as moneys fool
trip" Representative Money, who
is also Senator-elect from Mississippi
has gone to Cuba with the avowed
intention of telling Gen. Weyler
that he is there as member of the
House Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs, and asking to be put in a posi-
tiOn where he can obtain. personal
knowledge of the whole situation.
Money made his living as a lobbyist
in Washington too long to be called
a fool, but he ought to know that
any information he obtains through
the assistance of Gen. Weyler will
be just as one-sided as if he had re-
manned in Washington and asked
the Spanish minister to give it to
him. Such a visit by a member of
Congress who is also a member of
Z he House Committee which must
deal with any Cuban legislation,
while not exactly illegal, can hardly
fail to strike most people as lacking
in good taste. A copy of the first
dispatch sent to Consul General Lee
by Secretary Olney, after he heard
about Moneys visit, would make in.
teresting reading, or / miss my
guess. Moneys applying to Gen.
Weyler for information, in his Off
cial capacity, win at once cause the
Spaniard to understand that Con-
gress doesn't trust the information