Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-05-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.


Henry Mao farland, in his interesting
review of the proceedings in commit.
tee that produced the latest form of
the tariff bill, gives the credit for the
same to Senator Aldrirh, of course al
lowing largely for the Jones pressure
/ There il reason to believe that Mr..
! Adrirh's hand is traceablc in some inn
More prominence has been given
to Senator Allison's agency than
was probably deserved. Mr.. Allison
was in his characteristically cau-
/ tious mood. There is no record
ot his breaking II single egg shell
in his careful treading. Senator
/ Platt was of ON his mature honey
moon. Senator Wolcott was very
/ faithful and Industrious, according to
Mr.. Mcfarland, but all these public
men undcubtedly had great confidence
/ in Mr.. Allrich He is an able, prac-
teal legislator. He had difficult
task, and it was rendered more diff
cult by the unexpected failure of Mr..
Dngley to give him good basis on
which to act. The best things in the
Senate bill are presumed to be Mr..
Aldrich's. AS regards the worst ones
we have no question that Senator
Jones will not object to being accorded
the responsibility for them.
ABUNDANT REVENUE IN SIGHr-As-
sistant Secretary Howell adds his ex-
pert testimony to that of General APP
praiser Sharretts that the Tariff bill, as
reported in the Senate, will produce
abundant revenue. Although certain
schedules show reduction from the
House draft of the bill, Mr.. Howell is
confident that the duty on tea will
Weld at lea It $40, 900, 900 and the in.
creased beer tax $4,000, 600 more,
and that the net result will be suf-
fcient income for the government.
Mr.. Howell, it may be remembered,
was made assistant secretary of the
treasury by President Mckinley in
recognition of his remarkable ability
as student of fiscal problems. He
had been since boyhood in the treas
ury department, and served there
throughout the Cleveland administra-
tion. He was promoted to his present
responsible position because of his
personal merit, not because of political
services. Mr.. Howell's declaration
! that there is no doubt that the new
tariff will yield an adequate revenue
is that of IL thoroughly practical, disin-
terested witness. If President McKin-
ley and his treasury officials had their
way the Dingley bill would be enacted
before this month has ended.
! No DOUBT OF IT'S PAssAGE-Sena-
tors Aldrich and Allison have returned
from their outing and will arrange
with Senators German and Jones of
Arkansas the day when the tariff bill
shall be taken up in the Senate. In
asmuch as, under the agreement they
made in finance committee, the Demo-
Gratis were to have 10 days after they
received the comparative statements
showing the meaning of the changes
made by the finance committee Repub-
leans in the bill to prepare themselves
before the bill should be taken up in
the Senate, many mistakes were
discovered in the rough draft pre-
sented. 1t will probably be next Mon
day before the bill can be taken up in
the Senate. This delay will make it
impracticabIc to put the bill through
by the lst of July, and the general ex-
pcctation now is that it will be the 1st
of August before the bill goes to the
president. There is no doubt about
its passage in the shape in which the
majority of the Senate want to see it.
There are no indications of tilibuster-
ing. Vice President Hobart has not
been pressed by senators to undertake
to apply closure i'll any form and,
of course, has had no idea of doing
SO.
THERE ARE OTHERs-Your uncle,
Mark Hanna of Ohio, is not feeling
SO comfortable these days as he was a
couple of months ago. Things are
not going his way quite SO smoothly
/ as they were when Governor Bushnell
and Senator Foraker we're forced to
yield to administration pressure and
appoint him senator as the successor
of John Sherman Mr.. Hanna has
been plainly told by the men who con-
troll Ohio politics that he is not going
to have an unobstructe1 path to re-
! turn to the Senate. In other words,
if the Warwick of the new adj
ministration is to. continue to enjoy
senatorial honors after the meeting of
the next Legislature, it will be only
because he is II shrewdcr aud more
adroit manipu!ator than the anti-Mc-
kinley rirg of the Republican party,
which is represented by Governor
| Bushnell and Senator Foraker. AS
yet there has been no open breach be-
tween Hanna aud the men who are
| fighting him. But their attitude is
very well understood, and no one on
either side is being fooled.
TIE QUESTION or CLOTHES - The
best dressed man in Congress is n
Populist named Lewis from the stat e
of Washington He is described as a
fashion pla.e-long frock coat, brown
| trousers pressed to II razor's edge,
patent leather shoes, yellow gloves,
ish collar and flowing necktie. Jerry
Simpson was some time in accepting him
because, as he said, he looked SO much
Ikea gold Democrat, but as Lewis votes
like middle-of- the-road Populist, the
Kansas statesman says he is the real
article. The philosophy of clothes is
a great aud profound study, and it is
pity Carlyle is not alive to deal with
this case, as well as other variations
since his tire.
WHAT Musr BE ExPEcTED-If the
free silver senator's permit the Tariff
bill to pass, they must not expect any
further recognition from the mug
wump free traders. In the opinion of
the latter. all that free coinage sem
ator is good for is to dbstruct meas
urc which the people want.