The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-04-08
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, April 2, 1897.

There is no limit to republican
audacity. Not only was the Mckinley
tariff bill number put through the
House-forced through is nearer true
before an opportunity had been
given members to go through even
the farce of offering 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 amend
ment was forced down the throats of
the republican members which is
generally conceded to be unconstitu-
tional, and to be in direct conflict
with decision handed down by the
u. S. Supreme court since the Wilson
tariff bill became law. This amend
ment makes the duties which will
finally be imposed by the bill 60 into
effect April 1, although no one expects
the bill to become law for at least
three months, and no one has any
means of knowing how the duties will
stand when the bill passes the Senate.
This amendment is bluff pure and
simple, intended to frighten importers
into stopping importations while the
bill is pending in the Senate. If it
works, the importers are timid set,
as there are no lawyers of any promin-
ence who regard the amendment as
worth the paper it is printed on.
Mr.. Mckinley is still daily wrest-
ling with the office-seekers, but he
isn't making many appointments and
the few that he is making are unsatis-
factory to the rank and file. He has
sprung new dodge on the Senators
and Representatives. When he gets
ready to make personal appointment
he lets 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. 1t 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 semihumorous speech
on the tariff bill, just before the gag
rule under which it was forced through
the House stopped all talk, which
contained some very serious ideas.
For instance, he said: eff this is not
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 manufacturer has high
tariff on his finished products2 How
does it thappen that the cotton growers
find their products on the free list
while the cotton manufacturers have
theirs on the protected list n l 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 OF
what is equivalent to that, vote for a
high tariff, or else be debarred from
the benefits Of your tariff legislation.
Mr.. Clark's concluding words were
"We may be fools and leather-heads
and all that sort of thing, but tel
you, gentlemen, the people living ives,
of the Allegheny Mountains and south
ofthe Potomac have got sense enough
to know when they are sand-bagget
ard held up; and, fools as we are, We
have some rights that the New Eng
land highwayman ought to respect"
Senator Hansbrough's measure
entitled "a bill to prevent inventor
and others from being deceived ant
defrauded by alleged patent attorneys
is now before the Senate COMMITTEES
on Patents. The bill is the result O
numerous complaints which have COM
to Washington, and is intended t.
put stop to practice which make
the y. S. Government appear in tn
eyes of some people as an abettor @
a lottery scheme. 1t makes it unlaw
ful for patent attorneys or solicitors t
offer or award any prize or premium
or chance to win one, as an induce
ment to lure inventors into enterin
alleged competitions of ideas, an
provides as penalties fines for $500 t
1000 or Imprisonment from 81
months to one year. The bill ais
directs the Commissioner of Paten,
to prepare rules of practice for pater
attorneys.
Senator Foraker has introduced
bill to permit pooling by railroad
This speakes for itself. Only la
week the U. S. Supreme Court decide
that railroad pooling was illegal, an
now republican Senator prompt
comes forward with a bill to met
the Courts decision and to legalil
railroad pooling, which is only anoth'
name for railroad trusts. 1t seen