The Press., 1897-06-17
Washington Letter.
washlngton. Mar asth. lsgr

| Washington, May 18th, 16ST The events of the past week have made 1t as certain as any political event in the future can be that the tariff will not figure as an issue in the next national campaign and perhaps never again. The cause of this Is the adoption of the republican policy of protection by a considerable portion of the democratic party, while many populists have always believed in it. True, the democratic senators who have voted for protection do not all call 1t by that name, but that Is immaterial. They have voted to put a protective duty upon the products of their states, and they have done SO because of the wishes of their constituents. In those states there can be no tariff issue, when every body favors protection under some name or in some form. The silver men have seen this thing coming for some time and have encouraged 1t, because they think 1t will have a tendency to make the money question the overshadowing issue of the next campaign, and they say that is what the want.
 | There is much comment upon an amendment to the sugar schedule of the tariff bill offered by Senator Hoar, be- cause 1t Is regarded as an acknowledge ment that the criticisms of the new sugar schedule, which only got a majority of 2, although 1t was voted for by the two Ne vada senators and by Senator McEnery, of La., have not been without effect. Senator Hoar's amendment provides for the appointment of a commission to in vestlgate the conditions of the sugar growing and refining business of the U. s., and report to the next regular session. of congress what the duty on sugar ought to be to enable the sugar men to make a reasonable profit and at the same time to make sugar raise its share of revenue. One trouble about MT. Hoar's amendment, even If 1t were adopted, would be the doubt as to whether a commission would be any more successful in getting accurate information about the sugar trust, which practically does all the sugar refining in this country, than members of congress ional committees have been. Upon this the entire sugar schedule of the tariff bill hangs. If the figures presented by the framers of the schedule are correct, the protection for the trust would not be extortionately large, bnt 1t was openly stated by the opposition, and not denied, that the figures were prepared by the su- gar trust, and other estimates prepared by outside experts showing the protection to be three times greater than it is claimed to be, were presented to the senate. The trouble Is in getting at exactly how much raw sugar 1t takes to make a pound of re- fined sugar and what the cost of the pro- cess is. The process used by the sugar trust Is a secret one, said to be known only to afew.ofits most trusted employees.
 If 1t were not for the republican caucus agreement to vote only for such tariff amendments as are reported from the re- publican steering committee, the amend ments drawn up by the minority of the finance committee, to impose an intern revenue tax of 2 per cent. upon all inheri- tances exceeding $5, 900 in value, except those devised to religious, charitable ,edu- cational, and like institutions, could pro- bably easily get the necessary votes for its adoption, and if the democrats. and the popullsts, who are not affected by the caucus agreement, will all vote for 1t, 1t will go through anyway.
 '7 Whenever things get a little quiet around the capitol, Senator Stewart can be depended upon to spring a startling discovery of some sort. His latest is the existence of a scheme to buy Cuba from Spain with Cuban bonds guaranteed by the U. S., which he declares is being pushed by speculatiors who will try to take advantage of the sympathy for the Cubans to secure, the necessary congress sional Legislation. There Is little belief in the existence of such a scheme, and none that it could possibly succeed.
 If congress intends to do even a small part of what current gossip gives as the probable program, the extra session will run into the regular session, next Decem- Der, but Washington dog days have upset many congressional programmes of the past. According to gossip, the tariff bill Is to be followed by a bill authorizing the appointment of a currency commission, and treaty for the annexation of Hawaii, not to mention legislation that may be made necessary by the new Cuban policy of the administration. Up to this time Washington has had no disagreeable summer weather this season. By the time the first real sizzard gets In a few days work at the capitol, the principal anxiety of every member of both branches of congress will be to adjourn.