Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-04-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.

4 a.s S
There is no limit to republican
audacity. Not only was the Nc
Kinley tariff bill number q put
through the House forced through
is nearer true-before an oppor-
tunity had been given members to
go through even the farce Of offer
ing amendments to have them
overruled by the chair, instead Of
being voted down by the members,
to more than about one-sixth of
the entire bill, but an amendment
was forced down the throats of the
republican members which is gen.
orally conceded to be unconstitu-
tional, and to be in direct conflict
with q decision handed down by
the q. S. Supreme court since the
Wilson tariff bill became law.
This amendment makes the duties
which will finally be imposed by
the bill 60 into effect April l, I'll
though no one expects the bill to
become g law for at least three
months, and 30 one has any means
of knowing how the duties will
stand when the bill passes the
Senate. This amendment is a bluff
pure and simple, intended to
brighten importers into stopping
importations while the bill is pend
ing in the Senate. IL it works,
tho importers are timid set, as
there are no lawyers of any promi-
nence who regard the amendment
as worth the paper it is printed on.
Mr.. Mckinley is still daily
wrestling with the oficeseekers,
but he isn't making many appoint
ments and the few that he is max
ing are unsatisfactory to the rank
and file. He has sprung a new
dodge on the Senators and Repre-
sentatives. When he gets ready
to make personal appointment he
let's the Senators and Representa-
tives from the same state know his
intention, thus giving them the
opportunity to save their prestige
by adding their endorsement. It
may be imagined that this sort of
thing isn't pleasant to the Senators
and Representatives, but they are
afraid to kick at this stage of the
game.
Representative Champ" Clark,
of Mo-, made semi-humorous
speech on the tariff bill, just be-
fore. the gag rule under which it
was forced through the House
stopped all talk, which contained
some very serious ideas. For in
stance, he said: eff this is not a
sectional bill, how does it happen
that the western farmers find their
green hides not only on the fence,
but on the free LIST, while the New
England shoe manufactures has a
high tariffon his finished products?
How does it happen that the cot.
ton growers find their products on
the free list while the cotton manu-
facturers have theirs on the pro-
tected list? I will tell you why.
1t was stated with brutal frankness
by the gentleman from Indiana,
the other day, that the Southern
and Western people would have to
vote the republican ticket or what
is equivalent to that. vote for a
high tariff, or else be debarred
from the benefits of your tariff
legislation" Mr.. Clark's conclud-
ing words were: "We may be fools
and leather-heads and all that sort
of thing, but l tell you, gentlemen,
the people living west of the Ale
gbany Mountains and south of the
Potomac have got sense enough to
know when they are sand-bagged
and held mp; and, tools as we are,
we have some rights that the New
England highwayman ought to re-
spect."
Senator Hansbrough's measure
entitled 50 bill to prevent inven-
tors and others from being deceiv.