Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-04-23
REPUBLICAN ENERGY.
1T IS MAKING ITSELF FELT IN
WASHINGTON.
The Tariff Bill Through the House 10
Being strongly Pushed In the Sem
ate-Cuban Prison Dours Open to
American Prisoners.
CAPITAL city Chat.

American Prisoners.
Capital City Chat.
Special Washington correspondence:
The Republican party has again
shown Its business-like qualities. In
less than two weeks from the time of
its meeting, the House, controlled by
this party, has considered and passed
the tariff bill, and has done SO despite
the opposition and delay and fault-find-
ing system of the Democrats. The bill
now goes to the Senate, where the Re-
publicans have already shown their
b~usiness-like methods by taking it up
in committee and putting more than a
weeks labor upon it prior to its pass
age by the House. 1t is expected that
the bill will be completed by the COM
mittee during the present month, and
be taken up by the Senate early in
May. passed by that body in June and
go into effect July 1. President Cleve-
land and the free trade Congress, elect
ed in November, 1892. did not get their
tariff bill upon the statute books until
Aug. rs. 1894, one year and ten months
from the date of the election. 1t looks
now as though the Republicans would
get their tariff measure on the statute
books within seven months of the date
of the election, possibly wen sooner
than that.
The Cuban Situation.
The State Department continues to
receive encouraging reports from Cuba.
The attitude of the authorities there
has undergone a remarkable change
since this administration came into
operation. Every few days bring re-
ports of additional releases and only
three citizens of the United States now
remain in Cuban prisons, asking inter-
vention by this Government in their be-
half. Several others are still imprison-
cd, but they have either been given
the fullest rights Of trial under our
treaties with Spain, or have for rea-
sons of their own omitted to ask ill.,
%tervention in their behalf by this Gov
eminent. No feature of the present
administration has been received with
such marked satisfaction and COM
mendation as that relating to the rights
of American citizens abroad.
That Wilson Law.
b month of March has proved n re-
markable n in the history of the Will
son tariff law. The treasury has actu-
ally a small surplus for the months op-
erations. an event so unusual in the his
tory of this act as to draw marked at
tention. This is due, however, to the
fact that importers in the early part of
the month took alarm lest the Dingley
bill should be so framed as to shut off
in some way their right of importing
under the present low tariff rates. and,
therefore withdrew enormous uuanti-
ties from the bonded warehouses, pay
ing the duties on them and thus in
creasing the to nearly what
they averaged per month under the Nc
lNinley law, and making the surplus for
the month of March. This makes the
fourth month in the history of the Will
son law in which M apparent monthly
surplus has been created. but in every
prior case 1t was accomplished by hold
ing back payments in order to make
specially good showings just previous
to elections or at the close of the fiscal
or calendar years.
Free Trade Idea Losing Ground.
No feature of the tariff discussion has
been more interesting than that which
has developed a wide division of senti-
ment among the Democrats upon the
question of protection. Many members
of the Democratic party have openly
avowed themselves opposed to free raw
material propositions, while others
have denounced the extreme free trade
views of the Cleveland wing of the De-
mocracy. Still others, especially those
from the South, have avowed them
selves absolute protectionists, and sew
eral Southern Democrats actually went
so far as to vote for the bill which was
denounced by their party association as
the most extreme protective measure
ever offered in Congress. The free
trade idea is evidently losing ground,
even in the Democratic party.
Good Outlook for the Farmers.
Wool, wheat and corn, those three
staple agricultural products, are feel
ing the effect of renewed confidence
and renewed prosperity which have
followed the Inauguration of McKin-
ley. The standard commercial authOri-
ties report higher prices for wool,
wheat, -four and other articles of agri-
cultural production and show that the
wheat and flour expectations of the
week just ended are greater than those
of the corresponding week Of last year
and those of corr three times as great
as those of the corresponding week of
last year. The farmers of the country
are finding no occasion for regret that
they voted for Mckinley and prosper
itv.
No Comfort for the Democrat.
Democrats in Congress and else
where are greatly disappointed with
the sugar schedule Of the Dingley tariff
bill as well as other features. They are