The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-01-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Regular Oorrsspondent.l

WARRINGTON, D. O., January Z, 1898.
Senator Davis, chairman of the com.
mittee on Foreign Relations, got right
down to business when he gave notice
in the Senate that the treaty for the an.
nexation Of Hawaii would be called up
Monday and kept before the Senate until
1t was disposed Of. The outlook for the
ratification Of the treaty is much better
than It was before the recess. It is now
known that every Republican Senator
will vote for ratification, the populists
will divide on the question, and the
abandonment Of the attempt on the part
of some Of the Democrats to make 1t
party question makes the friends of an.
nexation confident that enough Demo.
Gratis will vote for II to make the neces.
sary two.thirds.
The House jumped right into the de.
bate on the civil service and will talk 1t
out on that line. A bill representing the
views of those Republicans who believe
that the present law should be modified
has been introduced. It provides for a
tenure Of Office Of five years Of all off.
cials included in the civil service. rules;
that those rules shall only apply to the
government departments at Washing.
ton and to such other localities where
the number of employees exceed twenty.
five, and only to those whose compensa.
ton is not below $500 and not 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 approve the prin.
ciple of the law, but Secretaries Sherman,
Gage and Wilson advocate material mod.
iacation of the present rules and present
good reasons why they do 80.
Secretary Gage wears broad.gague
smile these days, owing to the continued
increase, beyond all expectations. in the
government receipts under the Dingley
tariff law and Mr.. Dingley's smile is
even broader.
Chairman Cannon, of the House Ap.
preparation Committee, who spent
his holidays at his Illinois home, says
his constituents were all too busy to talk
politics and that consequently he heard
nothing about this years campaign.
Representative Fletcher, of Minn.,
who has just returned from trip home,
said: "During the forty years I have
resided in the State I have never seen
the rural districts of the state more pros.
porous. Minnesota Republicans have
always been loyal, and have never failed
to carry the state when q fight was on.
That can be said Of no other western
state. have no doubt that the Repub.
licans will be triumphant this coming
fall"
Hon. J. R. Burton, of Kansas, now in
Washington, is one of the numerous
Republicans who believe in the policy
of letting we'll enough alone. He says
Congress ought to pass only the neces
sary legislation and adjourn as speedily
as possible, 80 as to give the country the
longest rest possible before the campaign
opens. It would be great mistake, in
my opinion, to tinker with currency
Every dollar we have is as good as every
other dollar, and is going to remain 30.
It is best to let we'll enough alone. Pros.
perity has knocked out the free silver
shouters, and they will, if the present
good status is maintained, have very
trigid audiences next summer and fall
Give them any excuse by interfering
with our monetary system and they will
start up their bowling with renewed en-
ergy. There is no need to give them
any opening, but let them 60 on with
their worn out 16 to l platitudes. Oul
present currency system may not be
ideally perfect, but it is answering all
purposes and a change at this time is moi
desirable"
The action of Treasury Department
this week in increasing the counter.ail
ing duty ON French sugar about 100 pei
cent, because of the payment of an ex
port bounty ON sugar by France, will
practically shut French Sugar out Of oul
markets. This action, which will pleas'
the beet sugar interests, was taken un
der the authority conferred by the Ding
ley tariff law. and is strictly in line will
protection.
In order to ascertain to what exten
the recently discovered counterfeit $40
silver certificates have gotten into circu
lstion. Secretary Gage has called in tn
entire issue of that denomination. Thes
counterfeits are the most dangerous eve
seen OF any U. 8. note. The paper, tn
engraving and the printing are fully u
to the standard of the genuine, and
is feared that many of them may be i