The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-03-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

tariff legislation which the Secretary
of War and the Bureau of Insular Of
fairs has declared absolutely neces-
sary for their commercial develop
ment. The Payne Tariff bill has been
killed in committee in the senate, and
while 1t is possibility that it may be
called up by the chairman on resolu-
ton on the floor, this course is not
considered likely. The vote in the
committee is said to have been six to
seven. What show the bill would
have should it get before the senate
is questionable. 1t passed the house
by an almost unanimous vote, but
there was foreboding then that some
thing would happen to it in the SEN
ate, and it is possible that the OPP
ponents of the joint statehood bill will
take heart from this defeat of the tar
if measure as indicating that their
friends have delivered the goods" on
the tariff question and the combina-
ton will work equally we'll on the
statehood proposition. If the action
of the senate committee also means
the death of the joint statehood bill,
many people will think the discomfit-
ure of the islanders was cheap price
to pay for it. The statehood bill has
been politics, and small politics at
that, from the start. There would be
many dry eyes over the demise of the
measure. AS to the Payne BILL it may
be we'll to recall that it provided for
free trade with the islands except in
the case of tobacco, rice and sugar.
These were to be admitted at 25 per
cent of the Dingley rates whereas they
now pay Is per cent. 1t was claimed
by the opponents of the measure that
it's passage would mean immediate
and immense development of the three
crops named with the result of killing
these industries in the United States.
Consequently the bill has been fought
bitterly by the sugar, tobacco and rice
interests, which are all very
powerful. Whether the expressed
forebodings were we'll founded will
remain a mystery for some time TO
come, but the officials who had stud
led the problem on the ground de-
clared such fears unfounded and said
merely mean a general impetus 10
trade between this country and the
archipelago and would never flood the
United States with cheap sugar. rice
and tobacco
Senator Dolliver has come out
strongly for the unamended Hepburn
rate bill in the senate despite the fact
that Senator Tillman is in charge of
| the measure. The whole rate situa-
ton is SO beautifully and hopelessly
mixed that it is hard to say what the
result will be when the smoke of ora
tory clears away But it looks as
though the question of judicial review
would be tackled ON to the bill and
there might be a couple of other COM
l. paratively unimpOrtant amendments.
President Roosevelt has expressed
himself as satisfied with the amend
ments proposed, and if he is not no
body thinks he will hesitate much at
confiding his views to the senate. He
claims now as heretofore, that all he
wants is action, and he will not stand
out on either verbiage or political eff
feet. He was much interested in the
fate of the Payne bill and said frankly
that it ought to pass. But if there S
any really vicious tampering with the
rate bill, the White house may be re-
lied on to make itself actively I'M
pleasant. And just how unpleasant
it can be on occasion, the present con-
gress has not run the risk of finding
out.
1t you really want to defeat the live
stock transportation bill that is about
ready to be reported from the house
committee, take a suggestion. Do not
waste time in writing to your con-
gresham" The chances are that the
letter will go into the waste basket
with nine-tenths of the other mail that
his secretary opens and he never sees.
Rather go to the lieutenants who are
looking after his fences" in your own
district and impress on them that un-
pleasant things will happen if he does
not line up on the side of humanity
when the bill comes to vote on the
floor of the house. The bill in ques-
ton, which is being strongly fought
by the Humane Society and rightly so,
will allow the transportation of live
stock on the railroads for thirty-six
hours without food or water. The
secretary of agriculture, who comes
from cattle state and should know
better, has been won over by the live
stock shippers and says he is con-
WINGED the cattle will suffer less on the
longerrun than through being hustled
In and out of the cars to be watered |
and fed every twenty-four hours or
less. Twenty-eight hours is the limit
of starvation now allowed by law, but
the cattle men want it extended while
the Humane Society wants either to
have it shortened or at least to let it
remain stationary. 1t looks now as
though the bill to prolong the suffer-
ings of the cattle would be favorably
sressmen enough will be found to kill
will be on the floor of the house. Con-
gressmen enough will be found OF kill
1t If they are properly impressed. And
the way to impress them is by bring
ing persistent influence to bear on the
men who look after their fences at
home. That is the way voter can
most readily make his influence really
felt