The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1903-03-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., March end.

WASHINGTON, ID. g., March End.
Mr.. EDIToR:-What democratic repre-
sentatives designate as the most tlagrant
outrage ever perpetrated on the rights OF
the minority occurred last week in the
House when the majority voted, amid a
scene of wild disorder, to unseat Repre-
sentative James J. Butler, of the Twelfth
district of Missouri, and seated in his
place Mr. G. c. r. Wagner. Mr.. Butler
was elected by majority of over 5000,
but because some frauds were found in
the election returns forty one precincts
were thrown out and Mr. Wagner &C.
co, dcd the seat Representative Dear
mono, of Missouri, made scathing speech,
saving in part: And now we have here
the farce, the shameful spectacle of an at
tempt to put that man into the House. to
draw $4,000 salary, to draw two mile
ages, to draw two allowances for station
cry. In all the proceedings, not only in
the nited States Congress but in the wide
world over, in the history of election con-
tests, no other case so low, 20 base, so
mean, showing such utter want OF decency
and all pretense of right, so Thoroughly
colorless of anything except iniquity and
wrong can be found; nothing in baseness
and hypocrisy, nothing in meanness and
deceit, nothing in bitter partisanship and
cant to match or to be compared with this
case can be found. Welcome this man to
your bosoms as man not at all entitled
to the seat, but as man fully entitled to
political fellowship with those who would
steal it for him-the recipient of stolen
goods placed on a precise par with those
who stole the goods y
AS result of the unseating of Butler
the democrats pledged themselves to fill
buster on every motion made until the end
of the session and have made good their
pledge thus far. Only by the adopt II of
rules clea: ly beyond the spirit of the Con
stitution and rulings which are more
tyranical than those of the late Speaker
Reed, have the republicans accomplished
any business whatever.
Republican members of the Senate took
occasion when the Sundry Civil bill was
un der consideration to criticise the Presi-
dent FOR his appointment of Senators
Lodge and Turner on the Alaskan Bound
airy Commission. As these appointments
do not require the confirmation of the
Senate no further action can be taken,
but Senators Hale and Hoar were bitter
in their denunciation Of the practice of
appointing Senators on special commits
sions, although they protested that their
objection in no way involved the person
ality of the Senators appointed.
The republican members of the Senate,
forced to commit themselves by Senator
Blackburn's systematic presentation of the
question, voted not to consider the Little
field BILL Senator Hoar had said that this
measure contained the only effective pro-
visions against the trusts andit was known
that the President and the Attorney Gen
eral approved the bill, but the trust inf1u-
ence in the Senate prevented even its con-
sideration. The claim is made that there
remains no time for the consideration of
so important measure, but, on the other
hand there is an organized attempt to
enact the Aldrich financial bill, capable of
farther reaching effects, and infinitely
more difficult to understand According
to the program arranged by Mr. Aldrich
and Representative Payne this measure
was to pass both houses without debate,
but it is now believed it will suffer defeat
in the House.
The probable defeat of the Aldrich bill
in the House is source of much relief to
the democrats who believe they sec in its
provisions great possibilities of evil. 1t
is pointed out that it would authorize the
Secretary of the Treasury to determine
what railroad, State, county and munich
pal bonds he would accept as securities
for government funds and what he would
reject and were there to be selected Sec
rotary whose integrity was not of the
strictest he could by confidential informa-
ton to his friends slightly in advance of
his contemplated action, enable them to
reap fortunes on either side Of the stock
market.
The Presi dent has sent to the Senate an
earnest appeal for the passage of the Phil
ippine tariff act reducing the duty on
Philippine sugar and tobacco imported
into this country from IS to so per cent.
of the Dingley rates and admitting other
imports free. Your correspondent has
made a careful canvass of the Senate and
has ascertained that a majority of the
democrats and of the republicans would
be glad to vote for this measure but will
not, it is feared, have an opportunity be-
cause Senators Patter son and Teller, of
Colorado, have determined to talk the
measure to death if its further considera-
ton is undertaken. They fear the COM
petition of the Philippine sugar with the
beet sugar product of Colorado.
Statehood legislation for this session of
Congress has been declared off, the repub-
licans having proposed an impossible CON-
promise and the democrats voted unani-
mously, in caucus, to reject it. The dead
lock on the Panama Canal remains, how
ever, and it is expected that an extra ses-
sion of the Senate will be called to ratify
the Columbian and Cuban treaties Sen
ator Morgan adheres to his position that