The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-01-10
FROM THE NATIONS CAPITAL.
From Our O,cn Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 6, 1900.
If the Republican party should be
carried away by its apparent power to
legislate as it may see fit, and should
attempt to pass the bill introduced by
Representative Crumpacker, of In
diana, reducing the representation in
Congress of States which restrict negro
suffrage, the chances are that it will
experience something like the same
fate that overlook it i'll 1892, after its
disastrous failure to pass the "force"
bill.
The opportunity to pass such legisla-
ton is ut hand in the reapportiOnmcnt
that must be made either Mt this scs-
sion or the next, under the new pOpu
lation statistics secured by the census.
These figures must be submitted to
Congress within sixty days after June
1st, and it is not only possible but pro-
bable that Congress will be in session
until some time after that date. While
it has been customary not to pass re
appOrtiOnment bill until the second
session, there is nothing to prevent
this being done, nor to prevent the
elections this fall being held under
the new quotas. More or less confus-
ion would be caused where States
quota is reduced and, in such cases,
special sessions of the legislatures
would have to he hurriedly called to
redistrict the State, but this could be
done.
Representative Crumpacker is chair
man of the committee of the House OH
the Election of President and Vice
President, and it will fall to him to re-
port the bill for reapportionment. If
he desires, and his committee sustains
him, there is nothing to prevent his re-
porting q bill reducing Southern repre-
sentatiOn in accord with the Fourteenth
amendment to the Constitution.
Whether it will pass or not is another
question.
1t will be remembered that in the
first session of the 51st Congress, bill
to put United States marshals and Uni
ted States soldiers ut every polling
place i'll the South, known as the
"force" bill, was rushed through the
House, and was only defeated in the
Senate by the votes of one or two Re-
publicans who joined with the Demo
Gratis under Senator German to oppose
it. 1t will be remembered, too, that at
the next election, in the Fall of 1892, q
tidal wave swept over the country,
wiping out the Republicans so COM
pletely as to reduce their representa-
tion in the House by nearly $50 mem
bers. The Republican party has not
forgotten this, and it is unlikely that
it will risk its repetition by giving its
support to the Crumpacker bill. Still,
it is possible. "Whom the Gods de-
strOy, they first make mad"
The ship subsidy bill, which is to be
taken Up III Tie Senate some time in
February, and in the House within the
next week or two, grants the most enor-
nous bounties ever proposed by any
nation. The bounties are to run for
twenty years, and in that time great
and swift steamship will earn more
than double the entire cost of Building
her. Even @ slow steamer will earn
fifty per cent. more than her cost. The
total bOunties guaranteed by this bill
during the twenty years, are estimated
to amount TO &185, 100000. The worst
thing about the bill, however, is not to
be found in these enormous bounties,
but in the ultimate crippling effect it
The right to contract for a twenty
year bounty system will expire, under
the bill, in ten years. Any ship begun
in those ten years will receive bounties
for twenty years, but ships built after
that time will receive no bounties.
That is. at the end of ten years, every
American ship will be earning a boun-
ty secured to it for twenty years. New
ships without bounty could not COM
pete with bOunty-paid ships and,
therefore, no one will build any ships
after the ten-ycar period ends, and the
marine built up at so enormous a cost
will swiftly decay. The difficulty is
inherent in all subsidy schemes and
cannot be done away with.
1t cannot be denied that the action
of Secretary Gage, in regard to the sale
Of the old New York custom house,
has laid him open to serious charges.
Last July the government sold the
to the National City Bank
of New York for $3,205, 900. In pay
mont the bank rendered check
for the amount, less $4,000, held back
foT II special purpose. Secretary Gage
at once handed back the check for
deposit to the credit of the Govern
ment. The bank has had the use of
the money ever since, paying no in
terest. The payment was never cover
ed into tho Treasury, as required by
law. Moreover, as $4,000 of the pur-
chase price was retained, the title to
the property is supposed to be still
vested in the governments. and tha