The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-12-13

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 8. ,0l

y opening oi congress the Supren
! court rendered its decision in II
4 Fourteen Diamond Rings" cas-,
declaring that the Philippine Islane
are an integral part Of the Unite
States and that the provisions oftf
Dingley tariff law do not, therefor,
: apply TO shipments between the /.
" lands and the United States. Thi,
OF course, leaves the trade absolute
d ly free and threw the protection isl
: into paroxysms.
r With this incentive in view th
e dilatory methods which usually al
z tend the first weeks OF new con
: gres- have been abandoned. Spes <
: er Henderson has already name,
' the members Of the Ways an,
t Means committee, and it has held
session with a view 10 reporting
: bill providing for tariff regulation,
: between the United States aud tn,
: Philippines. 1t is believed that ,h,
bill will simply apply the provisions
OF the Dingiey tariff without chang
, log any of its rates.
Congress has received the report
OF the l>thmian Canal commission
and the Senate is in receipt Of the
Hay -Pauncefote treaty. The latter
has been referred to The committee
on Foreign Relations, and that com
mittee has voted unanimously to re
port the convention tor The favor
able action Of the Senate. 1t will
be promptly ratified. Senator Nor
gan has re-introduced his bill pro
vidlng for the construction Of the
NIcarauguan canal in accordance
with the recommendation OF the
commission, which tavors that
route, but TO the person who reads
Carefully between the lines there il
reason to suspect that there is, in
the promptncss with which all this
l. being done, something in the na.
ture OF a fuse and that it is the hope
OF the promoters of the canal to
bring the owners OF the Panama
route to reasonable terms. They
now hold out for approximately
SIC, 900, 90 more than the commits
sion believes their plant to he worth.
The Presidents advice on the Ia.
riff question quite accords with the
views Of the high pr)tectionists Of
his party and when those congress
men who have advocated tariff re-
vision have ventilated their opin-
ions 10 an extent which they believe
will satisfy their constituents, and
perhaps gain for them some con-
,essions in the way Of patronage or
ocal appropriations, they will
yraciously consent to have their
bills buried in committee, and will
'oon forget that they ever contem-
plated the heresy Of tariff revision
at least until they have to ask
heir friends at home to re-elect
hem.
The only cloud on the republican
ky is the recommendation of Mr..
Roosevelt in regard to reciprocity
With Cuba. The president has said
nat from moral reasons and nation
! interests we are bound to grant
Material concessions to Cuba. The
ugar trust has promised to add the
emile weight Of its persuasive in
usnce to the movement, always
rovided that there il no reduction !.
n refined sugar, which, of course,
leans that the Cuban raw sugar
IN be bought cheaper by the trust, i
ut the consumer will have 10 pay &
list as much for the refined article,
I'd Senator Lodge has been chosen Il
lead the fight in the Senate. n
There is one recommendation in
e presidents message which
ouId receive. the cordial support NJ
congressman irr, spective of par n,
, and that is his appeal for sup .,
ut OF the Postmaster General mi
efforts 10 remove the abuses J,
lich have crept into the admins y
ltion OF the laws in regard to sec :,
d-class mail matter. Mr.. Roose- -
/ says that although second class
liter constitutes nearly sixty perIa
1T. OF the mills, out of total w
'enue of Sill, ,631, 1913 the Post an
ice Department received only
299, ,445 for the transmission OF se'
t class Of mail. He goes on to Of
II the pound rate "were limited III
the legitimate newspapers and -
iodicals actually contemplated
the law, no just exception could nrs
taken" -
IN amusing incident occurred th, =
er day. While standing in thel,h;
Groom Of the presidents recep- -
room | saw a congressman 90 .
10 the president, as he and Sen ~
Lodge came out, and say, al ~,
4 IN sav a word FIR Nr Rlaok