The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1900-04-06
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent. !

W "ShAbS StN'H -. O.3 RAiA, AcSSs
Senator Foraker frankly stated,
when he asked that his Porto Rico bill
to which the House Bill had been at
tached be sent back to back to Com
mittee, that 1t was desired to have his
bill remain in committee until the
Senate was given an opportunity the
vote on the House bill alone, which
deals nothing nut the tariff. Mr. For
saker believes the house bill will be
passed.
The Senate carried out one of
President Mckinley s recommendation
when it passed the bill authorizing the
appointment by the President of q
Commission to visit Asia and study
and report upon the best methods for
interesting American Commerce with
China and Japan.
A bill approprating $4,000 to pay
the expenses of securing a proper de-
sign for memorial to Gen. Grant, to
be erected in Washington, was passed
by the House without dissenting vote
Senator Galligner, who is member
OF the Committee on Porto Rico, in
speech advocating the l5 per. cent
duty on Porto Rican products Others
than coffee which by the way, consti-
tutes four ffths of the islands exports,
said: We are proposing to treat Porto
Rico better than we treat any territory
IN the U. S. We collect revenue taxes
in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Indian
Territory and Arizona, and every dollar
ofit goes into the U. S. Treasury. We
shall collect internal revenue taxes in
Porto RrcO, too. but every dollar so
collected will be returned to the Porto
Ricans and be nsed for their benefit"
OF the connection of the trusts with
the question and their alleged control
of republican policy, Mr.. GalIinger
said: "We heard the same when
Hawaii was annexed and free entry 10
our ports was given Hawaiian sugar.
Now it is raised again when we propose
place small duty upon the products
OF Porto Rico, for The benefit of the
Porto Ricans themselves. The trust
which is suffering, the trust which we
are expressing by this legislation is
composed OF some gentlemen at tie
Arlington hotel in this city, trust
headed by the British Vice Consul at
San Juan. That trust is suffering
considerably. Those gentlemen bought
up the sugar under the full Dingley
rates, and il they can get it into this
country free of duty, they will make
the full 100 per. cent of the tariff but
if we succeed in putting tariff duty
of 10 per cent Of tie Dingley rate on
that sugar, the trusts profits will be
cut down by that much, and the peo-
pie of Porto Rico will benefit to that
extent"
Chairman Hit, of the house Com
mittee to make an investigation of
the charge made by Ex-Consu Mac
rum, that official mail from Washing
ton, to the U. S. consulate at Pretoria
had been held up and opened by Brit
ish Military officers, without the adopt
ion OF a resolution by the House, and
the Investigation will be started this
week.
Secretary Roots answer to the SEN
ate resolution asking if he had given
any exclusive permit for dredging the
gold bearing sands of the ocean off the
Alaska coast shows that no exclusive
permits have been issued for such
dredging, but that under authority of
law, as interpreted by Mr.. Root and
every member of the Cabinet, permits
have been issued to several applicants
to dredge the ocean bed from the line
of low water outwards off she Alaskan
coast, when it may be done without
interfering without navigation, and
will be issued to others who may ap-
ply for them. Inasmuch as there per-
mits have been issues to all applicants
there isnothing exclusive about them.
Thus, another mares nest is disposed
of.