San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-08
NATOAL CAPITAL NEWS.
Gossip About The Big
Lawmakers.
DINGLEY'S TARIFF BILL IS
SURE OF PASSING THE
SENATE.
President Mckinley Has Promised
Q To Appoint Young Sheridan
To A West Point Cadet
Ship-Department
Appointments,

Washington April S.-Special-The
Dingley tariff bill having last week
passed the House, receiving every Re
publican vote, five Democratic votes
ard one POpulist vote, is now in the
hands of the Senate committee on
finance. Every statement made con-
corning the changes in the bill by that
committee is a guess. Senator ALI
son. Aldrich and Plat, of Connecticut,
who have been going over the bill as
a subcommittee, are not the Kind of
men to announce their conclusions
even when they have definitely arrived
at them, to the public before making
their report to their colleagues on the
committee, When the committee de-
cides upon the amendments to the bill
it will be time enough to praise or to
criticize its work Until then your guess
is as good as anybody'S, if you must
have a guess.
The honor of being the first fourth
class postmaster appointed by Presi-
dent Mckinley fell to Mr.. John p.
Kelley. of White Cloud, Kansas. The
delay in making appointments of this
CldSS WIS VNlhS W lllt TIC
office of fourth assistant postmaster
general Mr.. Bristow is now occupy
ing that position and will proceed as
rapidly as possible to fill the $500
vacancies which have accumulated
since the new administration came in.
There will probably be an average of
30 appointments a day made until
the work gets up to date.
Senator Elkns has for a long time
been studying the question of how
best to restore the old time prestige
of shipping. As Il result of that study
he made very strong speech in the
Senate in favor of bill providing for
the imposing of duties upon imports
in a manner that will discriminate in
favor of American ships.
President Mckinley seldom makes
promises in connection with appoint
ments, but he has made one that will
please every patriotic American, that
is, to appoint young Phil Sheridan
cadet to West Point as soon as he
reaches the age of eligibility which
will be some time next year.
Representative GrOsvenOr, of Ohio,
is a good lawyer, and the following
the Supreme court which so many
persons, especially Democrats, profess
to think is opposed by the amendment
to the tariff bill making the duties
imposed by the bill go into effect
April l, and upon the right of Con-
greSs to pass such an amendment, is
both timely and interesting. After
citing other misunderstanding, Mr..
Grosvenor says: Simply and solely
what the Supreme court did was that
the Wilson law, which went into effect
on the 2Sth day of August and was
said to take effect from the first day
of August, did not repeal the McKin-
ley law until the day when it was
passed, and how anybody could have |
had a doubt about that is a mystery |
to me, but the Supreme court did not |
hold that the long line of retrospective |
legislation in the Wilson law was not |
approved. That the law bristles with
legislation. Whiskey in
bond and not in bond that had been
and deposited in the
bonded warehouse or was on that day
deposited at a tax of 80 cents, was
raised to $1.10. New
bonds were required, the whole system
but no lawyer in the Unit
I'd States ever disputed the power of
Congress to pass just such an enact
nent. The best evidence of the pOpu-
ar estimate of this retroactive amend
nent is found in the fact that the vast
body of importers who presumably
have the very best legal advice at
heir command, have all excepted as
conclusion that Congress has the pow |
r." I
President McKinley's appointments I
AVE been uniformly good, and even I
lis bitterest political opponents have
'ound it extremely difficult to criti-
lie any of them, and his appointment /
# Maj. Benz. ButterwOrth to be COM I
missioner of patents is commended by [
including Democrats and
oopulists This is just as it should be
or Major Butterworth as commission 7
II of patents is surely the right man ]
n the right place. He is an able law {
-er and statesman of wide experience, t
nd having been commissioner of pat t