The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-01-16
FROM THE NATIONS CAPITAL.
From Oar O.On Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. D. G.. Jan. IA. 1900.

Aot 30 WA0oly known, however, that
they represent loot for the especial
benefit Of the members of the commit
tees that report them. These two COM
mittees are the most sought after in all
Congress. places on them being pre-
farred hy meet members 70 ii,ose ON
Ways and Means, Foreign Affairs, OF
even Appropriations, great and influ-
entail as these are. The reaeon, OF
course, is that their members are enn-
bled to look after the interests of their
districts and make themselves sosid
with their constituents thereby. The
fact that they &c this this was brought out
in the House this week in q speech by
Representative Cushman, Of Washing
ton, who was disgruntled because he
could not get an appropriation he de-
sired for his own district. He showed
by means of huge map that the RIVER
and Harbor bill as reported to the
House, allotted s8s,95e, ,85e, to the sew
enteen States having members on the
Committee reporting it, S8,349,557 to
eighteen other States, and nothing at all
to the remainder. In addition $12, ,44O, :
600 is appropriated for the Mississippi
and Missouri Rivers and for surveys
that cannot be charged to any State in
particular. Nc analysis mas yet been
made Of the Public Building bill, as
that has not yet been reported to the
House and its terms are not yet GER
tain. If the plan of last year is follow
ed most of the money awarded will go
to States having members on the Com
mittee.
The parcels post system has now gone
into effect between the United States
and New Zealand, and the United
States and Venezuela. A person can
send by mail a package of merchandise
from Washington to New Zealand or
Venezuela weighing II pounds, at 10
cents a pound. But if he wishes to
send similar package to New York or
San Francisco the government will not
undertake the job. It must go by ex-
press. The gOvernm ent also under
takes to carry packages weighing as
much as II pounds to Honduras, the
Bahamas, Costa Rica, Germany, Trini-
dad, and various other places at 12
cents pound. Even to this, the ex-
press companies object, maintaining
that the Postmaster General has no
authority to make foreign parcels
post contract which allows foreigners
to send eleven pound packages through
United States mails, while citizens of
this country may mail domestic packa-
ges weighing four pounds only. For
that reason they demand that the con-
tract be abrOgated. The Postmaster
General very properly refuses to do
anything of the lind ar the swagger-
ing express companies threaten to take
the matter before Congress and com
pol him to do 30. The express COM
panies Of this country seem to be the
most offensive and impudent of all the
common carriers. Entrenched as thew
are in the House and Senate they may
actually attempt to pass O law of Con-
gress that will prevent the Postmaster
General making international agree
ments, lest by experience the people of
the United States become aware of the
cheapness and efficiency of the service
and demand it at home, but they will
probably fail. There have been un-
counted proofs of Republican subser-
viency to monopolistic demands. but
not oven o Republican Congress is
likely to allow Senator PIatt and flig
associates of the express business to
dictate postal regulations for the bene-
fit Of half q dozeH corporations.
a. most peculiar case is pending in
the Senate, in the nomination of James
s. Harlan, OF Illinois, to be Attorney
General Of Porto Rico, without the
approval of the Illinois Senators and
without their endorsements having
been asked nor received, It is thought
most unfortunate that the nomination
should have been made at this time.
Mr.. Harlan is the son of Justice Har-
Ian, of the Supreme Court, before
which the Porto Rican cases are now
being argued. OF course, no ono inn
agines that Justice Harlan would think
OF changing his convictions as to the
powers of the government for such a
miserable thing as fat Office in Porto
Rico (Which would probably go out of
existence il the governments conten-
ton should be overrnled), but, at the
same time, it is generally regretted
that anything even suggesting q bar
Din and sale on the part of q member
of the Court should come up at this
critical time when, as nearly as can be
guessed, the support OF only one addi-
tional Justice is necessary to sustain
the position OF the government.
For como time past statements have
appeared asserting that Senator Hanna
had predicted an extra session of Con-
gress unless the ship subsidy bill was
passed during The nrasant leanainn