The Opelousas courier., 1902-04-19
Washington, ID. C., News.
From our Regular Correspondent.


WASHINGTON, April IA, 1902.
While the past week in Con
gress has been productive of nc
important legislation, it has been
replete with evidences of the dis
cord in the republican party, and
in their efforts to secure the pas
sage of the Cuban reciprocity bill
in the House, the republican lead
ers have committed themselves to
propositions which will be care
fully noted by their constituents
and which they will find decidedly
embarrassing during the next cam
paign. After adopting the most
drastic measures to prevent the
revision of the tariff along the
lines proposed by Representative
Babcock, earlier in the session,
and effectually resisting a reduc-
tion which would have curtailed
the profits of the steel trust and
other great corporations, they
have completely reversed their
arguments, receded from their
position that the Dingley sched-
ules are sacred" have cited
Blaine and Mckinley in favor of
the reduction of two tariff sched-
ules, but-in both instances, the
schedules which benefited only
the farmers, sugar and tobacco
and have secuted the idea of
making even a similar reduction
on refined sugar, the differential
on which benefits only the sugar
trust at the expense of the con-
sumer. During his opening speech
on the Cuban bill, Chairman Payne
was forced to admit that the con-
sumer paid the duty on sugar, and
the frankness Of the admission
startled those younger republican
members who have been trained
to believe that all duties are paid
by the foreigners. The arguments
of Messrs. Payne, Grosvenor and
Long will all make excellent cam
paign literature for the demo-
Gratis, who favor o general revi-
| sion Of the tariff.
| While the House has been quar-
reling over the Cuban bill the
Senate has demonstrated serious
| lack of harmony on the question
of Chinese exclusion, and the re-
suit, which will be made known
by the vote next Wednesday, is
now a matter of doubt. A num-
ber of Eastern republicans, whose
constituents have nothing to fear
from Chinese competition, have
opposed the bill, and the conf
dence with which Senator Pen
rose called up his measure is now
sadly waning. To exclude the
| Chinese from our foreign posses
sions will be injuring those friends
of the administration who hope
to exploit the Philippines for their
own benefit, and who see magnifi-
cent profits to be gained from the
use of almost free land and the
cheapest class of labor in the
world, and the influence of those
sfriends" is making itself felt in
the Senate.
Recent disclosures in the Phil
| ippines Committee Of the Senate
have been grave source of ap-
prehension to the administration
| Reports of tyrannical and bruta
methods of dealings with the ma
tiyes are multiplying, and, as ;
logical sequence to republican i'm
perialism, there comes by cable
the news Of the arrest of twt
Manila editors for lese majestic
According to the report of Majo
Gardiner, civil governor of Tab
ayas, those Filipinos who wer
once friends to this country hav'
grown to hate it because of th
despotic treatment afforded then
by the American soldiers, and il
the view of the governor, con
tinued military occupation vii
result in leaving this countr.
without friend in the islands
with the exception of those wh'
have been appointed to govern
ment offices at munifcent salaries
The determination of the re
+. publican steering committee o
the Senate to ignore the wishe
OF the President. and take up th
Philippine civil bill before th
Cuban reciprocity measure is al
other evidence of the disruptio
which is taking place in the part.
and the action of the committe
' is heartily resented by the Pres
dent. The announcement, und'
oath, by General Sehofeld, tb
!. the President and the SecretaI
nf Warara NOT on snaakinr tern