The Opelousas courier., 1904-05-14
Washington Letter.
rom Our Regular Correspondent
Washington, d. c., May Z, 10

Washington, ID. T., May Z, 1904.
Ii is generally agreed that the House
got ahead OF tie Senate in the wind-np,
Uncle joe and other prominent mem
bers having seconded the indignant
speech of BOurke Cochran concerning
| the supuratiFls of the President and
Senate. ThG Senate bill providing an
elaborate scheme of government for
the Panama canal zone was relentlessly
turned down by the House, and tho
great river and harbor bill was flung
into the waste basket just as it came
| from the Senate. These evidences of
resentment on The part of the House
made ali impression, and it Is conceded
that the good result was la:gely due tn
the vigorous cooperation at the DEM
ocIats. In personnel the Senate IL
much o masterful than the House.
Indeed, people are inquirIng what is to
become Of The House unless the present
leaders ale superseded by stronger
men. Cannon, never il great leader,
like Reed, is now off the floor; Gros,
is q sort of inane clown; Hill is
dominating only in his specially, bank
ing; Dalznli pipes only in faIseit"; Taw-
ney, the blacksmith. has not forged any
tllundeibults yet, and Hepburn and
Littlefieid arc 81 independent of party
! iittt ttltH htt always (tlIlSttt =
cred insurgents 10y the Republican cap
tains. Even Payne, chairman of WaAs
and Means. and ex "ffirin i~rAli-r, is<S1
ways IN Tie mttituttAof . ssH++z@fIo
lower. "Fiie old leiH@%es@ts' OF Ruosu-
velta ranch badly need reinforcing if
they would hold their own.
Secretary Taft, in an interview wish
your correspondent IL few months gn,
attempted toauStify the ~aul,jugltinu OF
the Philippines by ''tI,e seizure Of Lou
isiana under tho purchase" as he has
termed it. suggested that the Louis
lana province Ras not seized, but was
appropriated with the full consent of
the people who dwelt there. | see thai
the Governor is out again exploitiShs
the Louisiana Purchase as IL justigaA-
ton of II criminal aggressionE sf.e
East. Does he not remember ttAYef-
fers0n refused to USE force if!asSuis.
lana, and that he sent Gov. y Dorne
wishes of the people2 Gov claiborne
went to New Orleans and cfisulted the
population, and, after otgaining au-
thority to exchange the Feench flag for
the American, reporteds to President
Jefferson: I'VE raisedFtle stars and
stripes yesterday amid .he acclamations
of the inhabitants" Gov. Taft knows
perfectly well that that is not the way
the stars and stripes were raised in
various parts of the Philippine Islands
while he was Governor there. Accla-
nations instead OF excavations! Does
he really think there is at least a re-
semblance between the twog
There is no doubt that the tariff ques-
ton in it's various phases will be prom
inent in the platforms of both parties
in the fall campaign. The Republicans
will exclaim: "We stand pat! But when
we think the tariff needs revision we'll
revise it," The Democrats will retort
that a party which has maintained an
unjust law is not a party to be trusted
to amend it in the interest of justice.
Senator Aldrich, the Senate leader Of
finance, was greatly annoyed by Chas.
NJ. Schwab's letter demonstrating that
steel rails sold to Americans for 1913 a
ton we're, under the tariff, delivered in
England for $19 a ton, a clear robbery
of the American consumer of fifty per
cent. Aldrich funed, perspired, quib-
bled, and wen denied, but made no
effort whatever to disprove the asser-
ton. This revelation will enter into
the campaign as we'll as the potency of
the tariff as a trust-breeder.