The age-herald., 1898-01-04
POLITICAL GOSSIP
 FROM WASHINGTON
Special to The Age-Herald: i:

times yet in store, and the close or tnls
 winter will see the tariff again brought to | the front.
 While they express their complete con- fdence in the Dingley bill when talking
 for publication, republican representatives
 and senators are not nearly so hopeful in
 their tone, when they are sure their con-
 versation will not be published. Well in-
 formed men in the party begin to fear that the rates in the Dingley bill were made too
 high for revenue purposes.
 Already the question is being discussed
 whether it would not be good idea to in-
 crease the tax on beer, and lower that on whisky. It is well known that a reduction
 of the whisky tax would mean increased revenue. The leaders are afraid, however, to do anything at the present time. They don't want to make 1t plain to the country that they have lost hope in their pet meas
 ure, and that the Dingley bill is a failure. For this reason it has been determined to
 use every effort to tide the party over until after the fall elections without any more tariff or revenue legislation.
 The purpose of the republicans Is plainly shown in those of the appropriation bills already before the house. These appropria-
 tions are for the year commencing July l,
 1898. In a number of cases the estimates will be cut largely. A deficit will, there
 fore, ensue, but not until after the elections and congress can, next winter, after the
 new congress has been elected and all
 danger to the party is over, cover all these
 deficiencies in the general deficiency bill The sentiment seems to be growing that
 the Dingley bill went a little too far.
 .tr-l,4 4ariff afnc a re a terous to a sufficient revenue as extremely low ones. In the former case the tariH is prohibitory. while in the latter there is simply too little. This cry about these an. tioipatory imports is not thought to amount to much. It makes good campaign argu- ment, but that is all.
 q have been g. protectionist all my life, and think that the protective policy is the only one this country can prosper under'
 said a prominent republican to me today,
 ssbut it looks to me as If we went Just a little too far this spring. I voted for the
 Dingley bill. and did so with my eyes open. hut I can truthfully say am sorry for it.
 "Yes" in answer to a question: Hishl change my mind and be glad stayed and voted with my party, if the bill pans out as my friend Dingley thinks 1t will. would be only too glad to change my mind' but fear that shall not have the chance.
 s'In fact I begin to think that MT. Dlng- lev and all of the ardent supporters or the bill on the floor of the house will realize before this session is over, that we made mistake and that something will have to De done to make the revenues meet the eN- penditures. While am personally Ill IaVor of decreasing appropriations to lncreasihs taxes, I should be glad to vote ln faVor oi any reasonable proposition that Will glVe us more revenue, if it is not too radlcai'
 "One of the first things that will De oohe
 bv the next congress, which, by the "ay'
 I believe, will have democratic majority
 in both houses, will be the passage or
 joint resolution to amend the constitution
 so as to permit a graduated income tax
 heinz levied" said Representative Baird,
 of Louisiana, today. Judge Baird IS one
 of the most promising of the new members
 of the lower house. and an ardent support
 CT of young Bailey. of Texas. we VIII
 give the republicans chance to vote on
 sucb A proposition, and if they want to vote no. we are willing that they should do
 so. But they won't. When the proposition
 to levy an income tax was before the FIT
 ty-third congress, they made the excuse
 that such tax is unconstitutional. well,
 they can change all that if they want to-
 .The sentiment of this country" c-nt.nsed
 the judge, lis almost unanimously in Ia
 yor of an income tax being levied. In that
 way only can wealth be made to pay It's
 just share of the expense of running the
 government"
 There will not be any legislation enacted to abolish pension attorneys, either at this or the next session of congress. The pen sion attorneys are too strong and their in fiuence in congress is too great. There are a number of ex-members of congress and ex-department officials practicing law in this city who derive large share Of their income from the pension business. These would set up an almighty howl if any at- tempt were made to abolish them or de- priye them of their valuable goose that lays the golden egg, the pensioner They have had the pensioner at their tender mercy for so long that they almost think he belongs to them.
 The methods pursued by these attorneys in their scramble after the almighty dol lar may be legally honest, but they cer- 
 tainly are extremely unprofessional. If such practices were indulged in by an at- torney in any court of any state in the United States, in an effort to secure cli- ents, he would certainly be disbarred But not so in the pension office.
 These "attorneys' secure from the war department or from some other sources, heaven only knows how many, list of the soldiers of the late war. They also have numerous agents in the field, veterans, a number of them, who have more love for money than for country. These are told to look up veterans of the late war. When this list is obtained the next step is taken. This is, to send the veteran a rosy statement of the pension that awaits only his application. When an answer is received, as it usually is, he is told that some disability must be proven in order to get this pension. A number of diseases, many old ones, and a number of new ones, ic nt hon nA