The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-06-25
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

I ii. docs
that sound? 1t is going to be the
next addition to Uncle Sans family
1t is now known, although no official
statement has been made, that treaty
for the annexation of Hawaii will he
sent to the Senate in the near future
probably before the close of the pres
ent session of Congress. There is
very little, if any, doubt of the ratifica-
tion of that treaty, as the sentiment
of the Senate, regardless of party is
overwhelmingly in favor of the annex
alton of Hawaii but owing to the diff
ficulty of keeping a quorum of the
Senate in Washington after the tariff
bill has been passed, the treaty will
hardly he acted upon until the regular
session of Congress, even if sent in at
this session.
The attempts of some of the demo-
cratic Senators to explain that they
are not protectionists, although they
have voted for protection for the pro-
ducts of their states, have been more
Or less ludicrous. Senator McEnery,
of La, is the only one of them who
has come out squarely for protection,
although a number of them have vot-
ed for it in particular schedules. He
said in reply to the taunts of Senators
Jones, of Ark, and Vest; "Consider-
ing the vast interests Louisiana has in
rice and sugar; considering the out
put of her saw mills, her salt and sui
phur mines, is there any reason why
the democratic party of my state
should not be committed to protec-
tions Not high protection, but such
protection as is consistent with reve-
nue. necessities. This, also, l believe,
is the doctrine OF the republican party.
Call it what you will, protection, reve-
nue. duty. with incidental protection,
or anything else, large amounts must
be raised, and there is no reason why
the industries of the South should not
be protected"
The democrats took advantage of
the agreement of the republican Sena-
tors to shorten the tariff debate as
much as possible by not making
speeches or taking part in contro-
versies, to make a number of state
ments concerning the sugar schedule
which has been adopted by the Senate,
that they must have known were un-
true. The only one of their state
ments that any attention was paid to
was that asserting that the new sugar
schedule would give the American
sugar refiners more protection than
the schedule for which it was sub
stituted, and that was only replied to
indirectly by Senator Allison, who
stated that the new schedule would
give the American sugar refners less
protection than the one abandoned,
and that it would be shown by indis-
putable evidence as soon as state
ment now being prepared by unpre-
JUDGED experts could be completed.
Senator Allison's word was enough for
the Senate which adopted the new
schedule.
The object of the democratic Sena-
tors in talking to delay progress On
the tariff bill is obvious. 1t is esti-
mated that every day the bill is delay
ed means loss to the government of
at least 100000 in duties, and the
more that is lost in tha5 way, the bet
ter prepared will be democratic stump
speakers to charge the new tariff with
not producing enough revenue during
its first nine months Or year. Of
course intelligent people will know
that advance importations under pres
ent duties will prevent the new tariff
showing what it can do as revenue
producer for sometime after it goes in
to effect, but intelligent people are
seldom or never influenced by the un-
trustworthy statements which form
such CONSPICUOUS feature of demo-
cratic stump oratory it is the unin-
telligent and poorly informed class
which is led astray by such talk.
1t has been denied that Organism
stood for reputation, but it cannot be
denied that bill introduced by Rep
resentative Bell, of Colo, populist
desciple of Bryan, provides for partial
repudiation, pure and simple. His
bill provides for scaling the debt of the
U. S., which is represented by the
$62 2,315 400 worth of bonds issued by
the Cleveland administration in Feb
ruary 1895, by directing the Secretary
of the Treasury "to pay not less than
one-half of the interest and principal
of said bonds in standard silver dol
lars" The odd part of Mr.. Bells
reputation scheme is that he only
specifies that it shall include one of
the Cleveland bond issues. The bill