The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-03-14
FROM TIE NATIONS CAPITAL.
From Omr Onn Correspondent

acknowledge ltS paternity. kCprcScn-
tative Tawney, of Minnesota, is the on
ly one who claims to know its origin,
and he seems only to infer it from
something that the President said to
him. Nevertheless, he asserts positive
ly that it was written by Secretary Of
War Root, and infcrs that the Presi-
dent knew Of the fact ut tho time.
Even Democrats have not vcntured to
bring so serious q charge against tile
President as MI. Tawney has half ad-
mitted-that, secretly favOring the
bill, he tried to have the House Repnb-
licans take the responsibility of its in
| PRODUCTION and passage. 1t is known,
however, that there WAS good deal of
heated talk ut the White House the
and that the President was very rcluct-
ant to come down from the fence and
get into the open OH one side or the
| other. The truth is that he and all his
party realize that they made q mistake
in sacrificing duty and justice and hon
csfy to political .cxpedicncy. The al
most universal chorus of disapproval
from the country has thrown them in
to q veritable panic. At least fifty
members of the House havo hurried
homo to explain to their outraged con-
stituents their course in voting for the
bill. Men who considered themselves
absolutely safe for re- election arc now
shaking in their boots, and revivals are
springing up all over. their districts.
party finds itself is that it must go on.
Even William Mckinley cannot change
sides again, as lie would doubtless like
to do. Senator Davis has introduced
an amendment calculated, as he fond
ly hopes, to undo all tho harm done by
the bill and yet to achieve all the OBJ
jects proposed by it,. Naturally he will
The weakness of the gold bug asser-
tions that the government can never
fix the standard value of silver and
gold, was recently made plain in the
House. Representative Payne, of New
York, arguing on the Porto Rican bill
TO which all discussions ,em inevita-
bly, to turn nOwadays-asserted that
value of the Porto Rican peso from 40
to GO cents. Upon this q Democratic
member asked him why, if this were
go, the United States could not raise
the value of its own silver dollars. Mr..
Payne was Mt q loss for an answer.
The same question, or one like it, is
now to be ludicially determined in the
ed articles shall be appraised in the
money Of the country from which they
come; it also provides that the director
of the mint, four times each year, shall
determine the value of all foreign coins
IN the currency of the United States.
A merchant in Boston imported from
India quantity yOfmerchandise, which
was appraised by the custom house Of
ficlals in rupees, which are the silver
coins current in that country. The
British government has recently fixed
the value of the rupee at 1922 cents.
But its silver, or bullion, value. az fixed
by the director 0E the mint, is only 2f
cents. The Boston man figured out
that tat his duties es would be About 80
director of the mint and rendered this
amount. This was refused by the col
lector, and the case has been taken to
the courts, who will determine wheth-
er Great Britain can fix the value of
her silver coins.
Attorney Genera! Griggs is being
bitterly denounced by architects and
selected personal friends of his to de-
Sign and build the new penitentiary at
Atlanta, Co., instead of selecting them
through open competitions. AS rule.
oil government work has to be adver-
tised and bids made and opened in the
regular fashion. but by some oversight,
this provision was omitted in the sun
dry civil act of last year, which made
$500, 600 available to be expended for
the purpose under the direction of the
Attorney General. Consequently, Mr..
Griggs has refused to allow any one
without strong political influence to
compete for the work on the building.
AS Asa result, the government will pay
gress may inquire into who is to profit
by this deal.
There 10 something. very. singular
about tho status of the Nicaraguan
canal. Scarcely q single member Of
either House can be found who does |
not declare himself in favor Of it, yet |
it's consideration. Mr. Burton, of Ohio,
stands apparently almost alone in de-
string to wait for the report of the |
commission sent to examine the Pana-
ma route, and his objection could easi- |
" be Oyerridden If tho Committee on |
Rules desired. But it does not 80 de- |
sire: sire. III Time ie goes on and NO nothing , is
improbable that anything will be done |
at this session. This inaction in re-
gard to o measure which practically
the entire country desires, makes o |
plain man wonder whether the appar- |
ent friends Of the canal are not merely |
blnffng. Discussing this, O prominent |
member of the Commerce Committee |
said: Congress was asked last year to |
await the findings Of the new commits
sion before passing canal bill, and
care wee tt:ss taken that SUCH report could /
not be made at this session. Had Con-
gress passed the bill at that time, there |
would have been no Hay -Pauncefote |
treaty. Although the negotiations
doubtless we'll under way last winter. !
NO iiintt az imam reached Congress. !
Now, the Ship Subsidy bill proposes to
transfer from the Treasury to the
pockets of the ship owners $18O, 200, 600
In the next 90 years. That sum would
construct the Nicaragnan canal and
operate it for 20years. With scheme |
OF this Kind to put through this session,
IL ia no wonder the Rennh1icau Marty