Middletown transcript., 1906-01-04
WASHINGTON LETTER

Chairman Payne, has been introduced in
the House and bids fair to cause Couple
Of weeks of debate at least. The main
opposition TO the bill comes from the cane
and beet-sugar interests and from the to-
bacco trust which says it is afraid the
American market may be flooded by
cheap tobacco as the sugar men ara affaid
/ it will be flooded with cheap sugar.
Chairman Payne, and he has the backing
of Governor Luke Wright and other ex-
pert testimony, asserts that there is no
danger Of sugar and tobacco flooding the
American market In the first place
there is not enough land available for
either crop to make their great increase a
| matter of concern to this country, and
there is not labor enough available To-
raise either in great quantities. On the
other hand it is claimed that the opening
Of the Philippines will make fresh mar
ket for American leaf tobacco for cigar
wrappers and will enlarge the Philippine
market in China and Japan. OF course
the tobacco trust does not want to enlarge
the American raw leaf market. 1t would
mean that the American grower would
have just that much wider territory in
which to dispose of his crop. The Amer
ican Tobacco Company of America and
the Imperial Company Of England have
pooled the Oriental market to suit them
selves, and naturally they do not want it
interferred with. But it is very likely
that the Philippine tariff bill win pass
even il in somewhat amended form, and
there will be letting down of the tariff
bars which form one OF the chief obstacles
to the material developement of the is
lands.
50
Congress can be very funny when it
gets dignifed, and one of the latest in
stances in this line was this week when
Representative Sims Of Tennessee became
excited over an editorial in local paper
and demanded an investigation by the
committee on II zoffice and Post roads
into the alleged abuse of the franking
privilege in Congress. The investigation
was ordered and the committee will prob
ably return a report that the specific
charges are unfounded. At the same
time everyone knows that the franking
privilege in requiring reply haze been
sent out under frank with frank en-
velope enclosed for the answer. Mem
bers also do frank a number of things
through the post-office that have no
business in mail car. Whether it is
true, as alleged, that COWS and horses and
household goods and kitchen utensils are
also franked may be open to question. |
But it would not be surprising if they |
were. The little government paster Civ
ing freedom of the mails to departmental
matter has covered multitude of sins in
its time. 1t may be news to some Repre-
sentatives, but it was not many years ago !
that distinguished member of the Geo
logical Survey, caught in the field at the
end of season when his appropriation |
had run low, simply pasted government |
envelopes on his tents, poles, instrument
cases and mess chests and sent them all
back to Washington by mail. That was
perhaps an isolated and exceptionally ag
gravated case, but there is lot of cheap
grating under cover of the Congressional |
frank that the committee could uncover
if it wanted to.
~
Official orders do not stick unless they |
are intended to, and they are not intended |
to in the case OF certain privileged per-
sons. For instance the anti-pass order is
sued with flourish of trumpets by the |
railroads some weeks ago will not apply |
to any congressman who wants to save
his mileage. The day after the order was
issued one of the correspondents in WASH
ington declared that he did not believe
the order was genuine. He telegraphed
in the strength of his supicions to high
official in the Pennsylvania for transpor-
tation for himself and wife to, st. Louis
and return. The pass came back by re-
turn mail, and he displayed it to a num-
Der OF his friends as an evidence that his
suspicious were correct. As a matter Of
fact he had no earthly use for it and re-
tnrned it little later with a polite note
saying that he had found it impossible to
make the trip.
~
In the same connection, 1t may be men-
toned that bill has been introduced in
the House reducing the mileagg Bin-
bers from twenty to six cent?: The
former figure twenty cents is relic of the
old stage coach days when man was a
long time making the journey to Wash.
ington from anywhere and when be had
to stop over night at taverns and the like. ,
The mileage has remained at twenty cents
ever since, and few congressman ever
spend their mileage at all but ride on
pass and pocket the difference.
~
The advocates of single statehood for
Oklahoma and Indian Territory are COM
ing to the fore and there promises to be
quite as hard a fight over this question as
over the question of separate statehood
for Arizona aud New Mexico. There is a
strong delegation from Indian Territory
here now. They say that statehood and
separate statehood was promised them in
The Curtis Act. passed by Congress eight !
years ago and they are averse TO being !.
tied mp with Oklahoma on the statehood
issue. a hearing will soon be given the
delegation by the committee OF which
Mr. Hamilton is the chairman and the
jaitt pressure from the Indian Territory
and Arizona may result in holding up the
Two statehood measnaes for another ses-
siun OF Congress