The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-04-30
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from our Regular correspondent-)

eFrom our Regular correspondent9
wASHNGToN. D. C. April Is
The proposal TO admit free OF duty
steel for use IN the reconstruction OF
san Francisco is the problem that IS
before Congress now The Railroad
rate bin which has absorbed the at
tention Of that body for SO many
weeks was temporarily suspended by
the California calamity and is now
ecIfpsed by the tariff talk. The amount
of structural steel that win be re-
CURED when San Francisco COM
Fences to rebuild cannot be estimat-
ed The earthquake proved that steel
construction for that city IS alone
practicable since the buildings thus
constructed were the only ones to sur
Sfye the shock The price Of steel In
this country Is kept up by means Of
the protective tariff The PROPOSE
ton before Congress is TO remove the
fariH SO that the Californians may
buy in the markets OF the world To
remove the tariff would be to bring
down the prices IN this country and
make 1t possible to buy steel here at
the prices at which It Is sold abroad
a movement to give San Francisco
-.llis benefit appears simple enough on
the face but in reality it precipitates
the great question OF general tariff re-
vision which Congress had positive
" decided should not be tempered
committee on Ways and Means
which is in control of the stand pat
tiers is planning to let public interest
in San Francisco cool down before
taking any action in the matter. then
1t may be possible to stave on the
question until the end of the session
AMI let it die in the Senate. Repre-
sentative Madden, Of Illinois, has
charge of the bill though and as ne
Is a fighter it is probable that he will
not accede to any such plan His the
orySis that. II this resolution does not
come to a vote San Franchises i'm
1nense demand for structural steel Will
bull the market, exhaust all the posi-
fle supply. make it practically impos-
sible for building operations to be car
ricd on in other cities and making it
necessary to import steel and pay.
the duty on It VIII SO disgust the coun-
try with the situation that the revi-
sion movement viii be greatly
strengthened Many Republicans in
Congress are OF the opinion that the
safest plan would be to pass the bill
without delay so as to prevent the
discussion of it and the possible
amendments that would be used to
open up the whole tariff issue. Joiln
Sharp Williams, the minority leader,
believes that the tariff should be sus-
pended for a year or two for the bene-
lit OF the entire country since, accord
ing to his judgment it would be i'm
practicable to extend it 10 California
alone Whatever Congress does in
the matter however it is apparent
that the tariff question. which is such
bugbear about election time IS going
to come up and Consressmen whose
fences need looking after at home are
decidedly embarrassed by the SuSSes-
ton which was as unlocked for at
this time as the earthquake itself.
Gossip about the Capitol now has it
that joint statehood VIII yet be the
successful issue despite all the oppo-
sition taat it has suffered. 1t is be-
lieved that out of the present entau-
clement In Congress Will come two
new states in the South west. one
composed of Indian Territory and Ok
lahoma and the other of Arizona and
New Mexico. Those who are leading
the administration fight for joint
statehood say they are confident that
Arizona and New Mexico viii enter
the Union as one State though the
methods by which it is to be accom-
p:IsheI are decidedly stratesical- The
plans of the House leaders are to turn
down in conference the various com
promise propositions that came from
the Senate and ultimately agree to the
Sofnt statehood bill as it left the
House with an amendment offered by
senator Foraker more than year
ago. This amendment provided for a
constitutional convention Of pro-
posed State formed of Arizona and
New Mexico, the forming Of con
r--s4,,4-<,,, ,-,5ZboIJi,.- Of a State cleo