The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-04-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.

The resolution of Senator Bacon, pro-
viding that the minority members of the
Finance Committee be permitted to sit
with the. majority of that committee to |
assist in the cross-examination of wit
nesses, precipitated warm outburst from
Committee and recognized as the Repub-
Icon leader of the Senate. AS soon as
the Bacon resolution was laid before the
Senate and before any of the Democratic
senators could get the floor, Mr.. Aldrich
was recognized and declared that "The
Republican majority of the Senate will
properly be held responsible by the coun-
try for the character of the tariff legis-
lation to be enacted at this session, and
also for prompt action. The business of
the whole country is suffering from the
uncertainty as to what will be done. Two
great bodies are divided by definite line
of thought on this subject, with few ex-
ceptions, on both sides of the chamber.
The republican party cannot eyade the re-
va
its part to do So" Mr.. Aldrich said he
had participated in the consideration of
| eight tariff measures since he came to
Congress, FIVE of which were Republican
and three Democratic, and that in every
case the framing Of the legislation was left
to the party in power. In the case of the
Wilson-Gorman bill, for example, Mr.
Aldrich pointed out that the Democratic
majority on the finance committee de-
clined toilet the Republican members have
anything to do with the framing of the
measure, that this was right and had been
the practice for more than fifty years.
~
| Were it the purpose of the Payne bill to
cheaper the necessaries of life, it is only
fair to presume that some attention would
be given to the sugar schedule, The
tariff on sugar, theoretically, is intended
as protection to the cane of Louisiana and
the beets of the northwest; actually, how
ever, as everybody knows, its most i'm
portant effect is to protect the Sugar trust,
whose business is chiefly the refining
rather than the original production of
sugar. This is accomplished by making
the duty on refined sugar SO much higher
than the duty on raw sugar that the re-
ining business is given a monopoly in
this country. As a matter of fact, some
attention has been given the sugar sche-
dule, 2S-Ioo of one cent is added to the
tariff tax on the most universally consumed
of all the necessaries of life.
-
The statement of the federal Treasury
for March, just out, is considered the
most encouraging which it has issued
since the fiscal year began. The tide of
business depression seems to have turned
suddenly. According to this statement
the Treasury receipts have materially in
creased and the steady enlargement of
the deficit account has been checked.
There was gainin March of So, 500, 900
in custom revenues over the revenues of
March 1908, and the gain in receipts from
all sources was So, 76I, 900.
~
Senior Carlos Garcia Valez, the new
Cuban Minister to the United States, is not
altogether pleased with the remarks that
have appeared in the press recently at
tributing him to scepticism as to the sta
bility of the Cuban government, and has
made it known that he considers his gov
eminent perfectly stable. At the same
time he has taken occasion to express his |
admiration of American ideas and his |
gratitude to the Americans for their dis
interested attitude towards the Cubans.
~
A well informed representative of the
iron and steel industry in Washington
this week, stated that wage reductions
throughout that industry during the next
six months will be the most sweeping and
dustries of the country in twenty years.
How much of the present and threatened
reductions in wages in steel and other in
dustries are properly attributable to tariff
revision; how much to depressed business
conditions following the financial dis
turbance which prevailed during the past
year, and how much to unsettled con-
ditions which must await readjustment to
the new schedules Of duties proposed are
a few of the embarrassing questions con-