Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-12-12
Our Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 9, 1901.

Almost simultaneously with the
opening of Congress the Supreme
Court rendered it's decision in the
Fourteen Diamond Rings" case,
declaring mat the philippine Islands
are an integral part of the United
States and that the provisions of the
Dingley tariff law do not, therefore,
apply to shipn ents between the ISL
ands and the United States. This,
Of course, leaves the trade absolute
ly free and threw the protectionists
into paroxysmS.
With this incentive in view the
dilatory methods which usually at
tend the first weeks of a new Con-
gress have been abandoned, Speaker
Henderson has already named the
members of the Ways and Means
Committee and it has held session
with view to reporting a bill pro-
viding for tariff regulations between
the United States and the Philippines.
1t is believed that the bill will simply
apply the provisions of the Dingiey
tariff without changing any of its
rates.
The Presidents message was re-
ceived with almost unqualified APP
prevail by the republicans, and the
democrats, while they could detect
the erroneous deductions, which are
the inevitable concomitant of the ac-
ceptance of the protection fallacy, in
every line that dealt with economic
subjects, could not but admire the
frank, direct expression of the in
dividual views ofthe author. Apart
from the specific economic recon-
mendations and reasoning the mes
sage is an admirable paper.
Congress has received the report
of the lsthmian Canal Commission
and the Senate is Is 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 for the favorable
action of the Senate. It will be
promptly ratified. Senator Morgan
has re-introduced his bill providing
for the construction ofthe Nicaraguan
canal in accordance with the recon-
mendation of the Commission, which
favors that route, but to the person
who reads carefully between the
lines there is reason TO suspect that
there is, in the promptness with
which all this is being done, some-
thing in the nature of a ruse and
that il 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 APP
proximately $4,000, 900 more than
the Commission believes their plant
TO be worth.
The President : advice on the
tariff question quite accords with the
views of the high protectionists of
his party and when those congress
men who have advocated tariff re-
vision have ventilated their opinions
to an extern. which they believe will
satisfy their constituents, and per-
hapS gain for them some concessions
in the way Of patronage or local ap-
preparations, they will graciously
consent to have their bills buried in
committee and will soon forget that
they ever contemplated the heresy
Of tariff revision-at least until they
have TO ask their friends at home TO
re-elect them,
The only cloud ON the republican
sky is the recommendation of Dir.
Roosevelt in regard to reciprocity
with Cuba. The President has said
that from moral reasons and national
interests we are bound 10 grant ma
terial concessions to Cuba. The
Sugar Trust has promised to add
the gentle weight OF its persuasive