The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-06-04
FROM THE CAPITAL.
Our Correspondent Talks in Sage
Manner of Things in General
About Washington.
communicated
WASHINGTON, May 81, 1897.

communicated
WASHINGTON, May 81, 1897.
A real investigation of the sugar
seandal-one that would go to the
bottom of things and not get frighten-
ed off when on the track of informa-
ton that would incriminate Senators
would be good and desirable thing
to have, but another fizzle like the last
one would be worse than useless, be-
cause it would do more harm than
good. The people recognize job Of
whitewashing as quickly when it is
done by Senators as by humber WELD
ers of the brush. Senator Jones, of
Nevada, who was inferentially charg-
ed by Senator Aldrich with having
given out the sugar schedule before the
tariff bill was reported to the Senate,
is chairman of the Committee on Con-
tingent Expenses, to which Senator
Tillman's resolution for a sugar inves-
tigation by committee of five Seua-
tors was II ferred, and he says the COM
mitRe will report the resolution favor
tain that the resolution will be adopt
ed, because number of Senators who
would like to vote against it will not
dare to do so. 1t will all depend upon
the formation of the Investigating
Committee whether it will mean BUSH
ness or farce. Senator Tillman will
be chairman of the committee. If he
be given four colleagues as fearless as
himself, the guilty Senators, if there
be any such, will be brought to book,
and the sugar trust, the head of which
got clear on that other indictment, will
also be shown up; but if he be given
colleagues who are afraid Of their own
shadows, nothing will come of the in
vestigatiOn.
The Republican Steering Committee
in the Senate is slowly but surely I'M
doing the work of the sub committee
that prepared the amendment to the
Dingley tariff bill, and by the time the
bill gets through the Senate, the rate
of duties imposed therein will average
almost or quite as high as the Dingley
bill. The tax on tea and the increased
tax on beer are doomed, and we are
likely to have an internal revenue tax
on bank checks. mortgages, ETC., in
their places, unless the Republicans
get frightened out of the idea by pro-
tests.
Mr.. T. G. Peyton, a well known Vir-
ginia gold Democrat, thus sizes up the
present situation: ut seems to me now
that those of US who contributed to the
success of the Republican ticket, have
been the victims of confidence game.
AS | view it now, a very great mistake
was made last November. 1t would
have been much better for the country
to have elected Mr.. Bryan. l have
not become a convert to free silver
since the election, my belief in sound
money is rs strong as ever, but / am
satisfied that if Bryan had been elect
ed, the country would have recovered
more quickly from the ills that have
afflicted it."
Speaker Reeds readiness to reverse
rulings made by him as Speaker aud
opinions given by him as an authority
on parliamentary law would be anus
| ing, if the matter was not of too seri-
Gus nature to be so regarded. What
ever standing as an authority on par
liamentary rules and practice Mr..
Reed had previous to the present ses-
sion of Congress, has been lost by his
decisions, which have made it plain
/ that he recognizes nothing higher than
his own will in making decisions.
Heretofore many people who disagreed
with Mr.. Reeds parliamentary rulings
/ in many particulars have been willing
/ to give him credit for conscientious be-
lief in them himself, but they are not
now. After all, Mr.. Reed is not solely
to blame. A few of the Republican
members of the House could at any
time rebuke the methods pursued by
Mr.. Reed, by voting with the Demo
Gratis, but they have not done and are
not likely to do so. On the contrary,
if Mr.. Reed should rule that the Chap
lain's prayer was out of order and a
Democrat appeal from the ruling, the
Republicans would almost to man
vote to sustain the Speaker With the
question of which is right to do. but OF
what Reed wants them 10 do. Senator
Morgan was doubtless out of order
when he made that stirring attack
upon Speaker Reed and the House on
the floor OF the Senate. but the attack
wascertaiuly deserved and Senator Nor.
gan's assertion that the present meth
DDS of the House are not constitutional
is receiving close attention, and may
result in a change,
The selection of Whitelaw Reid and
his brother-in-law, Ogden Mills, to be
respectively Special Ambassador and
Secretary to the Ambassador to repre-.
sent the United States at the Queens
Jubilee ceremonies in London, is an,