Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-04-16
Washlngtun Standard
THEY HAVE "NERVE.'
REPUBLICANS PLAY A GAME OF
BLUFF.
Mckinley works n New Dodge Oh
Those Backing the Pic Counter
lncOngruities of the Tariff Bill
Railroad Pooling to be LegaliZed
Etc.

lncOngruities of the Tariff Bill
Etc.
From Our kcelilar Correspondent.
WA-HIXGrnN. April ID, 1897.
There is no limit to Republican
audacity. Not only was the Mckinley
tariff bill No. put through the House
forced through is nearer true-be-
fore an opportunity had been given
members to go through even the farce
OF Offering amendments to have them
overruled by the chair instead of be-
ing voted down by the members to
more than about one sixth OF the en-.
tire bill, but an amendment was forced
down the Threats OF the Republican
members which is generally conceded
to be unconstitutional, and to be in
direct conflict with decision handed
down by the U. S. Supreme court
since the Wilson tariff bill became a
law. This amendment makes the
duties which will finally be imposed
by the bill so into effect April l, al
through no one expects the bill to be-
come law for at least three months,
as 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 inn
portations while the bill is pending in
the Senate. If it works: the importers
arc timid set, as there are no lawyers
of any prominence who regard the
amendment as worth the paper it is
printed on.
Mr.. Mckinley is still wrestling with
the oflice-seekers, but he isn't making
many appointments and the few that
he is making 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 a personal appointment he lets
the Senators and Representatives from
the same State know his intention,
thus gives them the opportunity to
save their prestige by adding their en-
dorsement. 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
Missouri, made asemi-humorous 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 products? How does it
happen that the cotton growers find
their products on the free list while
the cotton manufacturers have theirs
ON the protected list? l will tell you
why. 1t was stated with brutal frank
ness 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.. Clarke's concluding words were /:
1--WE may be fools and leather-heads
and all that sort of thing, but I tell
you gentlemen, the people living west
OF the Allegheny Mountains and south
of the Potomac have got sense enough
to know when they are sand-bagged
and held up; and, fools as we are, we
have some rights that the New Eng
land highwayman ought to respect"
Senator Foraker has introduced a
bill to permit pooling by railroads.
This speaks for itself. Only last week
the U. S. Supreme court decided that
railroad pooling was illegal, and now
Republican Senator promptly comes
forward with bill 10 meet the courts
decisions and legalize railroad pooling
which is only another name for rail.
road trusts. 1t seems that all the
campaign debts to corporations and
trusts were not paid in the tariff bill.
The new Republican members oil
the Senate did SO much vigorous kick
ing that Republican caucus has de.
cided to try to fill the vacancies on
Senate Committees. Whether they
succeed will depend on how much
they try to grab. Senator German
chairman of the Democratic steering
committee, made them q fair Offer
weeks ago-that Republican vacancies
be filled by Republicans, Democratic
vacancies by Democrats and Populist
vacancies by Populists. They have SO
far refused to accept that offer. Dem.
Good Things I'm the Dingley Bill.
In the storm of criticism which has
assailed the Dingley bill, it is perhaps
no more than charitable to give that
measure full credit for all the good
things in it. Under the new law the
people OF the United States can buy
their voncou, their vocoa, their balm
of gilead, their beauxite, their I'M
l..