Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-14
AN ,ARDU0US TASK.
Exceedingly Hard Work tc
Make a New Tariff Law.
It Shows on Mr.. DingIey's Health
Yet He Sticks BrayeIy to It.
Joe Choats and Free Trade-1he Old Boom
Days Of Minneapolis.

/
Now that the ways and means committee
Of the house has concluded Its public hear
ings and settled down to the hard work of
preparing a new tariff law am told by
some of the younger members of the COM
mittee that they are inst beginning to real
lie what an awful task it lie. Instead of
having their evenings for social pleasure
OF the theater or attention to their CORE
spondence, they find they must sit up till
midnight every night porting over sched
ules, comparing testimony, figuring out
rates and trying to agree with their fellow
members. The ways and means members
that is, the Republicans-will probably
be in continuous session from now till the
4th of March, or very nearly till that date.
They will need all this time in which to
| finish up their job.
|. To he Done Quickly.
The chance for the early passage Of
complete tariff bill is now believed to be
brighter than it was some weeks ago. l
have just had Il talk with one of the lead
ing Republican senators, ono who is looked
upon as # practical manager for his side
of the chamber, and he tells me he has
taken tho trouble to inquire into tho atti-
tude of tho Democrats and silver Repub-
difficulty in passing our bill, - said this
senator, whose word may be taken as high
authority. 1.-The Democrats do not intend
to delay our operations. They want to
talk little and to make the record
straight, but am surc we shall be able to
pass bill by the middle of June. can
almost assure tho country that the law
will be on the statute books by July l."
This, take it, is good news for the people,
good both for those who believe in the
efficacy Of the new tariff and for those
who do not believe in it. If the thing is
to DO DONE it is well that it is to be done
quickly.
Governor Dingley's health IS already
showing few signs OF wear and tear in
this arluous task of tariff making. Nat
urally tho bulk of the work falls upon him.
The way the committee has laid out its
task, nothing is done except by the whole
committee, and this means IL dreadful
amount of work for the chairman. l am
satisfied that if it had not been for his ia
tigue in these nightly ordeals Of tariff bill
framing Mr. Dingley would have accepted
the secretaryship Of the treasury when it
was offered him by President Elect Mckin-
ley.
1.-THE wonder to me is, said one of Gov
ernor Dingley's colleagues on the commit
tee, THAT the old gentleman does not get
brain fever. He does not read anything
but economic literature. He does not
smoke or drink or chew. He never plays Il
game, gees driving or attends the theater
He does nothing but think, think about
the old tariff, and the rates, and the ad va
loren, and the rev enue, and all that sort Of
thing. 1t is enough to drive a man crazy. y
Lawyer Choate and His Views.
+ From public man who has intimate re-
lations with the president elect learn that
Joseph Choate, the leading lawyer of the
New York bar, who wanted to be senator,
but couldn't, was at one time seriously
, considered for secretary of state by the
president elect 1t was conceded that Mr..
Choate had the learning and the ability to
make first class secretary of state IA
worthy successor to MIR. Olney. But when
Mr. Mckinley discovered that in his econ
omic faith Mr.. Choate, though good Re-
publican, was good deal of free trader,
his name was dropped from the list of
eligibles as il it had been poison. What a
joke on Mckinley it would have been if he
had actually appointed a theoretical free
trader to the first place in his cabinet
"Joe Choate is one of the ahlest men of
our day. said a we'll known New York
lawyer to me- "He would make a great
reputation as a public man if he could only
get the chance. But he can't get the
chance. He is not enough of u politician.
This reminds me that know a little story
about Choate 1t is an old story, but
don't believe any one knows that he was
the man with whom it originated. While
Choate was out of his Office one day client
for whom some work had been done came
in to settle up. Mr.. Choates clerk settled
; with the man and afterward reported to
his chief what he had done.
And how much did you get out of
: him?' asked Mr.. Choate.
"A hundred dollars" replied the clerk
proudly.
"What Only hundred? You ought to
have had more sense. 1 want you to IN
tlerstand that am not running Il law Of
flee for my health 1 discharge you, sir.
discharge you on the spot. y
"B-but I-I-got-all the man had,
explained the poor clerk timidly.
"Oh, you got all he had" said Mr..
Choate. "Well, that Is different l forgive
f you. take back what 1 said about dis
5 charging you. You will make great
/ lawyer yet, my boy"
A Rare Advantage.
: A western senator tells me a good story
2 about the boom days In Minneapolis.
/ There lived near town farmer who was
tired of agricultural life, and who conclud-
! ed he would go into the city and get rich
specializing in real estate So he went in
t to town, called on a real estate agent and
e explained what he wanted. The agent, OF
course, had just the thing the man desired.
S They jumped into buggy and started out
to see the property. After driving for some
distance out through the suburbs the agent
e pulled up at ii place where the prairie liad
been laid off into town lots.
SIS it not beautiful he exclaimed.
"See! There IL to be public square. Over
there is park. Oh, this is fine property
1t will jump up at the rate of so per cent
u a month Man, this is the chance of your
life! l will trade you these lots at the rate
of one lot for each acre of your farm You
will get rich out of it. ~
II don't think will take it, mister, u
. -Vz.l1 A.