The Philipsburg mail., 1899-07-28
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
AND DEPARTMENT NEWS.

| Ill our HililtaT! S!SleIll-aIu MS Crlt1-
cisms should be carefully studied by
the officers at the War Department
his conclusions are in the highest de-
gree complimentary. and his verdict
should be gratifying to every Ameri-
can.
A reciprocity treaty between the
United States and Great Britain in re-
latiOn to trade between this country
and the British colony of Barbadoes
was signed at the Department of State
by the representatives Of the two gov
ernments. 1t is the first treaty framed
under the Dngley law and the first of
the series of treaties which the Brit
iSh colonies to the south of this coun-
try are seeking to effect. John A.
KasSon. special reciprocity plenipo-
1entiary. signed for the United States
and the British charge. Mr.. Tower. for
Great Britain. The treaty is made for
the term of five years, with provision
for an extension unless either party
should denOunce it in tn" meantime.
1t is made strictly within the terms Of
section 4 of the Dingley law. which
provides for Il reduction of not more
than 20 per cent Of the regular duties
on goods. wares and merchandise
which may be agreed upon. in return
for reciprocal reductions given by other
countries.
The Agricultural Department has re
ceived an interesting report from Lieu
tenant A. p. Hayne. California heavy
artillery, on agriculture in the Philip
pines dated Manila Lieutenant Haync
had been able to make no personal
observations beyond the American
lines. but he transmits the translation
of an article prepared for him by Senor
Manuel Del BuSto. chief of the agri-
cultural experiment station in Manila.
The most remarkable feature of the re-
port is the almost hopeless picture
painted of the conditions prevailing in
the island. The great fertility of the
soil is pointed out. and it is said that
in only q few restricted areas. where
three crops a year have been gathered
without interruption for several CEN
turieS. is there any apparent need Of
fertilizers. In spite of this. all attempts
at colonization have failed either
through the poor class of emigrants
secured. the financial inability of the
various companies and the corruption
or oppression Of the governors and gov
ernment's agents. The result is that
the middle and lower classes in the
islands are almost of the worst possi-
bic type.
The feature of Saturday session of the
industrial commission was the testi-
mOny Of l.. Nj. Lockwood. an indeDcnd
ent oil producer of Pennsylvania. He
denounced the Standard Oil Company
and railroad officials as highwaymen.
He quoted A. J. CaSSatt the new pres
ident of the Pennsylvania railroad, as
testifyng before the Interstate Rail
way Commission to the effect thar
while the open rate to the public was
19O per barrel. the rate to the Stand
ard Company was 80 cents. Further
investigation. said Mr.. Lockwood. had
developed the fact that the railroad
companies actually received only 81
cents. This condition of affairs had
resulted for a time, according to the
witness. in giving the Standard Com
pany profit of 400 per cent. while the
independent refineries were being driv-
, Ell rapidly into bankruptcy. Mr.. Lock
, wood was free in the use of epithets,
characteriZing both the oil company
and railroad officials as highwaymen
and brigands. He said that men who
had carefully analyzed the testimony
taken before the Hepburn committee
estimated that in 1856 months time the
five trunk lines Of Pennsylvania had
paid the Standard Company S11 ,OOOOOO
in rebates. The railroad companies
had, he said. completely ignored the or
der of the Interstate commission to
stop their discrimination in favor Of
the Standard Company. resorting then
to the system of false billing.
Henry o. Havemeyer. president Of
the American Sugar Refining Com
pany. was examined by the industrial
commission the other day. in connec-
tion with it's investigation Of trusts.
His testimony related almost wholly
to the sugar industry, and he opened
with a vigorous attack upon the GUS
toms tariff. which he declared was the
, ''mother Of all trusts" becoming such
by providing "inordinate protection to
manufactured articles" In the course
of his testimony he said 81 repeat
| that all this agitation against trusts Is
against merely the business machinery
: employed to take from the public what
the government In it's tariff laws says
3 it is proper and suitable they should
have. 1t is the government through
it's tariff laws. which plumbers the peO-
: pie, and the trusts, etc, are merely
l. the machinery for doing It, Tariff
2 laws should not afford protection ex-
t ceeding ten per cent. to any industry,
, so that. irrespective or the form or 90
4 ing business individual or corporation,
= the people. that is, the consumer,
= would be protected. AS the tariff laws
e are and have been. it is the consumer,
. that is, the great mass Of people, that
t has terribly suffered, to the great adj
D vantage of the few of the business
t community. The sugar company I'M
q doubtedly tries it's utmost to enlarge
e It's business, but does it in a way which
:, it considers the only proper one, that
is. by making the price so low as to
defy competition. 1t is my opinion t'r
e corporations are under no obligation
: whatever to any of the states for their
> existence. Quite the reverse. The
= states are under obligations to them.
+ If the plant of the industries consoli-
e dated was capable of being put on
t wheels and moved from state to state
e you would find active bidding for them
| T. ;., hi fo, nj