Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-02-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.

| w OoCcftStON, TSO. OdC, 1901.
The most important event OF this
week in Congress will be the counting
of the electoral vote by the two
Houses of Congress in joint session.
Representative Murray, the colored
member from South Carolina. has an
nounced his intention to enter a pro
test against the counting of the vote
of that state, on the ground that the
state has not constitutional republi-
can form of government. Mr.. Muir
ray says he has made up is mind to
this course in Difference to the wish
es of his constituents and without
consulting with the republican lead
ers in Congress. If his protest, which
must be made in writing, be signed by
one senator, it will be necessary to
stop the counting of the votes until
the House and Senate in separate
session shall decide the validity of the
protest. So far as known the protest
has not yet been signed by sena-
tor.
The immigration bill will have to
go back to the House, as the Senate
rejected the conference report on the
bill and further amended it by pro-
viding that illiterate wives and minor
children of immigrants who can meet
the requirements of the bill may be
admitted. It was stated that Mr..
Cleveland had said that he would veto
the bill if it we're sent to him with the
clause which would have admitted
the husband who could read and shut
years Of age who could not, left in it.
It was also that clause upon which
most of the opposition to the bill in
the House was based; consequently
become law.
A conference with Speaker Reed
and other republican 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 SEN
ate passed it or not, those gentlemen
have decided to drop the canal bill
and allow it to join the great aggre-
CATION of legislative might have
beens.
Senator Sherman has announced his
ate 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 appropria
ton bills there are a number of other
important measures upon which the
Senate ought to act. In addition there
is growing opposition to the treaty
among the silver Senators.
Two members of the Canadian gov
ernment, the minister of Trade and
Commerce, and the minister Of
Marine and Fisheries, arrived in
authorized to offer GER
tain trade concessions in exchange
for duties low enough in the new tar
riff bill to allow Canadian farmers to
dispose of their products in the Unit
ed States, just in time to learn that
the Ways and Means Committee had
agreed to the agricultural
schedule which prescribes duties high
enough to practically shut the Cana
liam farmers out of our market. They
will endeavOr to secure a reconsider
alton on the part of The Committee by
offering special inducements in the
way of concessions to certain of our
goods and products, but the Com
nittee had already gone over the
natter very carefully and had been |
convinced that Canadian competition |
vas running our farmers, in sections |
If the country, without being of any
special benefit to anybody except the
Canadians, under the low duties of |
If the present tariff bill, and it is not |
likely to change.
In their zeal to give their papers |
he news of the progress that is be-
ng made on the tariff bill some we'll
meaning Washington correspondents
lave been making great deal of un
necessary trouble for the committee
~ sending the rates left in schedules
hat have been informally considered
~ the committee to their papers with
he statement that they have been
definitely agreed upon. Neither
chairman Dingley nor any other
member of the committee will con-
ider any duty definitely decided up
N until the entire bill is ready to be