Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1898-01-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
lFrom Our Regular Corrsspondsnt.l


Il
Senator Davis. chairman Of the
Committee on Foreign Relations, got
fright down to business when he gave
notice in the Senate that the treaty
for the annexation of Hawaii would
be called up Monday and kept before
the Senate until IL was disposed Of.
The outlook for the ratification of
the treaty, is much better than 1t
was before the recess. 1t is now
known that every Republican Sem
ator will vote for the ratification,
the populists will divide on the
question, and the abandonment OF
the attempt on the part OF some OF
the democrats to make IL party
question makes the friends Of annex
alton confident that enough DEM
ocrats will vote for 1t, to make up
the necessary two-thirds.
The House jumped right into the
debate on the civil service, and will
talk It out on that line. A bill rep
Presenting the views of those Repub-
[licans who believe that the present
law should be modified, has been in
troduced. 1t provides for tenure
OF Office FOR five years of all officials
included in the civil service rules;
that those rules shall only apply to
the government departments at
Washington, and to such other LEGAL
tiles where the number Of employees
exceed twenty-five, and only to those
whose compensation is not below
5000 andnot above $500.
In answer to Senate resolution
the members OF the Cabinet have
forwarded their opinions Of the civil
service law and rules. They all ap-
prove the principle Of the law, but
Secretaries Sherman, Gage and Will
SON advocate material modification
of the present rules, and present
good reasons why they do so.
Secretary Gage wears broad-gage
smile these days, owing to the con-
tinued increase, beyond all expecta-
tions, In the government receipts
under the Dingley tariff law, and
Mr. Dingley's smile Is even broader.
Chairman Cannon of the House
Appropriation Committee, who spent
the holidyas at his Illinois home,
says his constituents were all too
busy to talk politics and that conse-
auently he heard nothing about this
years campaign.
Representative Fletcher, of Min
nescta, who has just returned from a
trip home, said: During the forty
years l have resided In the state
have never seen the rural districts
of the state more prosperous. Min
nesota Republicans have always been
loyal, and have never failed to carry
the state when fight was on. That
can be said of no other western state.
l have no doubt that the Republi.
cans will be triumphant this coming
fall"
Hon. J. r. Burton, of Kansas, now
in Washington, is one Of the numer-
Gus Republicans who believes In the
policy OF letting we'll enough alone.
He says: Congress ought to pass
only the necessary legislation and
adjourn as speedily as possible, so az
to give the country the longest rest
possible before the campaign opens.
1t would be great mistake In my
opinion. to tinker with the currency.
Every dollar we have Is as good as
every other dollar, and Is going To
remain so. 1t is best to let well
enough alone. Prosperity has knock
ed out the free silver shouters, and
they will, il the present good status
Is maintained, have very frigid
audiences next summer and fall
Give them any excuse by interfering
with Our monetary system and they
will start up their bowling with re
newed energy. There is no need Il
give them any opening, but let them
20 on with their worn out 16 to ]
platitudes. Our present currency
system may not be ideally perfect,
) but it is answering all purposes. and
, change at this time is not desir.
} able"
The action of the Treasury De.
partment this week In increasing the
countervailing duty on French sugar
about 100 per cent, because of the
payment of an export bounty on
sugar by France, will practically
shut French sugar out of our mar
kets. This action, which will please
the beet sugar interests of the coun
try, was taken under the authority
conferred by the Dingley tariff law
and is strictly In line with pro
lection.
: In order to ascertain to what OK
q tent the recently discovered counter