Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-02-10

termined to do nothing toward carry
ing into effect the Presidents recon-
| mendations at this session of Congress.
1t ia probable that there would be
some railway rate legislation in tbs
| Senate at this session were it not r
the Swayne impeachment case, which
| renders the consideration of COM
| plicated measure almost physical I'M
possibility, although 1t is equally like
| ly that before the bill passea Che Senate
it would have been 30 altered as TO
make it entirely inadequate to correct
| existing evils, even those at which it
| is aimed. The fact that the Townsend
Esch bill fails even to attempt the COR
| rectiOn of some OF the graveSG evils is a
source of disappointment to tie Pres
| dent and to the Democrats in both
houses OF Congress and there are many
who believe that more comprehen
sfve measure can be enacted at the
special session which the Preside ,
proposes to call. The President has
| decided not to attempt to force the
Senate to act at this session and his
present plan is to Call q special session
TO revise the tariff and enact proper
railway legislation alb out October 1sJ.
Some earnest members of Congress are.
however, urging hlm to take the tide
of sentiment in favor of extending fed
eral control of the railways at its fl JOd
and CAL special session TO meet this
Spring, aud while they have not yet
convinced him of the wisdom of this
course he has taken the matter under
consideration. Ii the Senate were,
like the House, elected by direct vote
of the people, there is little doubt that
Senators would feel the necessity OF a
special session in the Spring TO meet
the demand for this character of enact
ment, but under the existing circum-
| stances Senators are decidedly indie
| pendent and they insist that if The
President compels them to meet this
Spring they will adjourn without &c
tiOn.
The fallacy of the protective argu-
| ment WAS never more strikIngly Illus
| trated than it has been this winter in
! connection with the tariff on wheat.
For years the farmers have bsen told
that they were protected by The duty
OF 70 cents buShel On wheat, alth Ough
the price has been fixed by the Liver
pool market and the duty has never
afforded the farmer cent of increased
profit. This year, however, a shortage
OF hard wheat in the North west put up
the price until the American farmers
! were receiving 90 cents more bushel
than their brothers just over the Cana
dian border. OF course the mlllers did not
want to pay the extra price SO they APP
pealed to the Secretary of the Treas
ury to allow them tC import The Cana
dian wheat, pay the duty, grind it into
flour, export it and secure, IN the form
of a drawback the duty they had paid
to the Government. Inc Secretary OF
the Treasury appealed to the Attorney
General for an opinion and the law Of
| 6cer of the Government has decided in
favor Of the millers. Senator Hans
brough has, however, introduced a bill,
10 the Senate which will prevent the
drawback provision Of the Dihgley
Act from being applied to wheat. The
fate OF this bin, which is in the form
of an amendment to the Sundry Civll
appropriation bill, will determine how
willing the Republican protectionists
are actually to pass legislation which
| will protect the farmers while it some
what curtails the profits of the Mime
| 0pOlis milIerS,