The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-03-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Congress Dominated by Partisan
RuIe---Demoerats Filibustering
TO Protect Their Rights.


cratic representatives designate as the
most Aagrant 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 Representative
James ]. Butler Of the 18th district of
Missouri and seated in his place Mr..
G.. G. 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
accorded the seat. Representative De-
Almond of Missouri made scathing
speech, saying, in part, And now we
have here the farce, the shameful
spectacle of an attempt to put that
man into the House, to draw $40,
salary, to draw two mileages, to draw
two allowances for stationery. In all
the proceedings, not only in the Unit
ed States Congress, but in the wide
world over, in the history of election
contests, no other case SO low, so
base, so mean, showing such utter
want of decency and all pretense of
right, so thoroughly colorless of any
thing except iniquity and wrong can
be found; nothing in baseness and
hypocrisy, nothing in meanness and
deceit, nothiong in bitter partisanship
and can't to match or to be compared
with this case, can be found. Wei
come this man to your bosoms as
man not at all entitled to the seat, but
as a man fully entitled to political
fellowship with those who would steal
it for him--the recipient of stolen.
goods. placed on precise par with
those who stole the goods.
Butler the democrats pledged them
selves to flibuster on every motion
made until the end of the session and
have made good their pledge thus far.
Only by the adoption Of rules clearly
beyond the spirit of the Constitution
and rulings which are more tyran-
nical than those of the late Speaker
Reed, have the republicans accomplish
ed any business whatever. -
Republican members of the Senate
took occasion when the Sundry Civil
Bill was under consideration to criti-
else the President for his appointment
of Senators Lodge and Turner on the
Alaskan boundry 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 ap-
pointing senators on special commits
sions although they protested that their
objection in no way involved the per-
sonality of the senators appointed.
The republican members of the Sen
ate, forced to commit themselves by.
Senator Blackburn's systematic pre-
sentation of the question, voted not to
consider the Littlefeld bill. Senator
Hoar had said that this measure con-
tained the only effective provisions
against the trusts and it was known
that the President and the Attorney
General approved the bill but the
trust influence in the Senate prevented
even it's consideration. The claim is
made that there remains no time for
the consideration of so important a
Measure but on the other hand there
IS an organized attempt to enact the
Aldrich financial bill, capable of far
ther reaching effects, and infinitely
more difficult to understand. Accord
ing to the program arranged by Mr..
Aldrich and Representative Payne 5his
measure was to pass both houses with
out debate, but it is now believed it
will suffer defeat in the House.
The probable defeat of the Aldrich
bill in the House is a source Of much
relief to the democrats who believe
they see in its provisions great posi-
bilities of evil. 1t is pointed out that
it would authorize the Secretary of
the Treasury to determine what rail
road, state, county and municipal
bonds he would accept as securities
for government funds and what be
would reject and were there to be
selected Secretary whose integrity
was not of the strictest he could by
confidential information to his friends
slightly in advance of his contemplated
action, enable them to reap fortunes
on either side of the stock market.
The President has sent to the Senate
an earnest appeal for the passage of
the Philippine 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 careful can
vass of the Senate and has ascertain
ed that 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 Patterson and Teller OF
Colorado have determined tc talk the
measure to death. if its further con
sideration is undertaken. They fear
the competition of the Philippine
sugar with the beet sugar product of
Colorado.
Statehood legislation for this ses-
sion of Congress has been declared off,
the republicans having proposed an
impossible compromies and the demo
Gratis voted unanimously, in cuacus, to
reject it. The deadlock on the Pana-
ma Canal remains however and it is
expected that an extra session of the
Senate will be called to ratify the Co
lombian and Cuban treaties. Senator
Morgan adheres to his position that
+Lo CoIo,,bia convention as drafted