The Press., 1900-01-18
Washington Letter.

washington, Jan. Is, 1900.
Congress has nothing to brag of in the
shape of work accomplished during the
past week, and If it continues to confine
it's work to the Offering of scores of reso-
lutions, and the adoption of an occasional
one, the fifty-sixth congress will deserve
the nickname of "The resoluters." The
house made no pretense at working, as no
business had been reported from its COM
mittees; 1t met several days only to ad-
journ. The fact is, the great game Of
politics, which always starts In congress
in presidential years, is now on, and the
men who play it are more intent upon
scoring point for their side than upon
dispatching business, and the expansion
question seems to be in greater favor with
the players of both sides than the finan-
cial question. The debate on the senate
financial bill has been decidedly draggy
thus far.
The most noteworthy feature of the
hearing before the senate election COM
mittee, in the CLARK bribery case, is the
contradictory nature of the evidence
given. More witnesses will be heard
this week.
The house interstate and foreign CON-
merce committee does not intend to wait
for the report of the Isthmian canal CON-
mission. 1t has ordered a favorable re-
port on the Hepburn bill for the con-
struction of a canal over the Nicaragua
route. The bill authorizes the president
to acquire such territory as may be need
ed for the construction of the canal from
Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and directs
him as soon as that has been done to
order the secretary of war to go ahead
with the construction of the canal. The
bill carries an appropriation of $14O,-
900. 900. Mr.. Hepburn expresses so much
confidence in getting action on the bill at
this session that it is suspected that he
has received promise from the speaker.
Senator Morgan approves the bill and
says he would like to see it a law at once,
but he has serious doubts about the senate
acting in advance Of the report of the
canal commission.
Representative Pearre, of Maryland,
believes that the tariff offers the best
method for controlling trusts, and keep
ing them from becoming too greedy, and
he has introduced bill which provides
for the suspension of duties upon i'm
ports when their sale or manufacture are
monopolized also providing for com.
mission, the duties of which shall be to
investigate and report to the president
as to the necessity for such action. He
says the machinery for the enforcement
of the Sherman antitrust law has proven
slow and tedious, and that there Is 6
public demand that something be done by
congress to curb the greed of trusts.
The administration has ceased active
efforts to get the several reciprocity trea
ties, negotiated under the Dingley tariff
law, ratified, and there is much talk o.
the probability of the failure of the entire
bunch of treaties, owing to the combina
tion of their opponents in congress. II
is claimed, however, by members of the
administration that efforts to get the
treaties ratified will be resumed wher
Hon. John A. Kasson, who had charge ot
the negotiation of all of them, returns
from Florida, where he has gone by order
of his physician to try to get rid of the
grippe.
There Is much gossip and almost {
scandal on account of some things let out
by Secretary Cages answer to the con
gressional resolutions of inquiry as to the
relations of the treasury with nationa
banks. There Is particularly a lot o
gossip concerning the fact that tn,
Seventh national bank, OF New Yorl
City, shortly after Fret Assistant Post
master General Perry Health, became it,
principal stock holder, was designated b,
} the postmaster general as the depositor,
of post office funds in New York. Mr.
Heath's friends do not deny that his off
cial position was an influence in getting
the bank chosen as a depository, bu
they say that there is nothing wron
about it; that there is nothing In being
| depository of postal funds, except the ad
vertisement of the bank, but that doesn'
stop the talk. Lots of men who do no
believe that there was anything wrong l.
the transaction, yet believe that a ma
l who is next to the head of a great gov
ernment department, should not allow
bank which he practically owns to
benefited, even by advertising, by tn
official acts of that department. There
flavor of favoritism about such thing
that the average American does not like
Our officials should be like Caesars wife
: above suspicion, and they cannot be whe
!, such things are done.
If the present program is carried out
? Porto Rico will not only soon have a civ
government but will enjoy the same fret
dom of trade with the U. s. that one {
+ our states has with another.
Gen. J. II. Wilson, military governo
d Of the provinces of Matanzas and SAINT
: Clara, Cuba. Is an admirer Of the Cubans
+ He said in public address, in Washing
I ton: 81 declare, without reservation
d that in the cities of Matanzas and SAINT
l Clara, ranging in population from twelv
to forty thousand, there Is less violence
less lawlessness than there Is In any cit
of the same size in the U. 8. There Is n
more humane, no more kindly peopl
than the Cubans. Every unkindly teri