The citizen., 1905-01-27
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
January 81, 1905.

W y
mittee has been conducting hear
ings on the bill urged by both
the President and the Secretary
of War, and which provides that
but % per cent. of the Dingley
tariff shall be collected on sugar
and tobacco imported from the
Philippines shall be admitted
duty free. The President urged
this Legislation in his message
as essential to the welfare of the
archipelago and Secretary Taft
has haunted the halls of Congress
trying to Impress their duty in
the matter on members of the
lower House, hut the fact that
"hearings," have been held is
regarded as indicating the unwil
lingneSS of the leaders to permit
the passage of the bill. The fear
that some protected interest, and
particularly the Sugar Trpst
may suffer is leading such prom
inent Republicans as Dalzell.
Grosvenor, Payne and others to
oppose the measure and its
chances in the House are indeed
slim, while in the Senate they
are nil.
The course of certain members
of Congress believed to he con
trolled by the railroads is being
watched with extreme interest bN
those who eSpouSe the cause OF
the people versus the great com
mon carrier monOpolieS. The
| President has made it SO plain
that no member of Congress can
be in doubt as to his duty regard
ing the railway rate question
The small shipper needs the pro
lection of the Federal govern
ment against the rebates and dis
examinations which have built
up the great trusts of the country
10y methods conceived and first
practiced py the Standard Oil
Company aud since adopted by
every successful trust. Despite
these facts, however, there seems
to he set determination to pre-
vent adequate legislation and the
opposition is developing in the
most iuSidious form. AStute mem
hers of Congress are resOrting 10
their favorite tactics and less
wise members are making their
usual blunderS
The uninitiatrd Senator or
Representative takes it for grant.
ed that the best way to kill a
bill or defeat a policy, is to speak
against it aud vote against it.
Not SO the initiated. He appre-
clates the danger of such a
course where the bill or policy
commands popular respect and
he therefore poses as its friend.
but he is too SolicitOuS. With a
determination to secure full,
aud complete and accurate kuowl.
edge on the subject" he persists
in bringing in witnesses who take
up the time of the committee
having the measure in charge,
until it becomes too late in the
session for action. This is called
"Straugling in committee" and
is the favorlte met.od of Senator
ElklnS, Representative Dalztll.
General Grosvenor aud similar
statesmen" Another favorite
practice, especially with measures
of national importance and at
tecting the railroads, is to amend
the bill with the profeSSed pur-
pose of Strengt hening its pro
visions. with the real purpose OF
rendering it unconstitutional so
that after the government has
pressed it in the courts at great
cost of money and time it will
fall before the Supreme Court of
the United States. These are
the methods employed by the
astute statesmen, but they have
still another to TALL back on. AS
a last resort, they excite the rad
icalS in Congress to a pitch of
enthusiasm which utterly be
clouds their better judgment and
leads them tn insist on such ex.
treme legislation as to insure
ultimate defeat for the measure
which they have been instru
mental in amending.
All of these methods will be
employed before the opposition
will allow the remedial railway
Legislation urged by the Presi
dent to be placed on the statutes.
The friends of the administra.
tration and the Democrats, will
exercise the utmost vigilance TO
prevent the success of these
methods without a complete ex.
posure of the perpetrator, whoever
he may be. or course, majority
will rule in any event. but it is
regarded as almost as important
that the snakes III the grass be
exposed to the public gaze as
that the legislation itself be en-
acted, as such exposure will
inSnra the nltimnf II SnnnnSn or thn