Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1905 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

Political and (Jeneral Gossip of the National Capitol. -

Special Correspondence to The Democrat: Despite the opposition of the entire Pennsylvania delegation, excepting of course, ths Democratic members, and of some twenty other Representatives, the Republicans of the House have determined to pass the TownsendEsch railway rate bill at the present session of Congress and it is probable that the measure will be sent to the Senate the latter part of this week; but it is almust certain that no action will follow in the upper chamber. Democratic members of the House will vote for the minority substitute, which is a modification of the Davey bill, but as that will be defeated they may'Vote for the TownsendEsch bill as the best railway legislation that can be obtained. The determination of the Republicans to vote for a railway rate bill at all this session is recognized as a triumph for the President and also for Representative Williams whosb sarcasm the Republicans fear and who, it was knowti, would have delivered a broadside which would have made interesting reading in the respective districts of the Republican members had they listened to the railroad lobby and determined to do nothing toward carrying into effect the President’s recommendations at this session of Congress. t t t It is probable that there would be some railway rate legislation in the Senate at this session were it not for the Swayne impeachment case, which renders the consideration of a complicated measure almost a physical impossibility, although it is equally likely that before the bill passed the Senate it would have been so altered as to make it entirely inadequate to correct existing evils, even those at which it is aimed. The fact that the Townsond-Esch, bill fails even to attempt the correction of the gravest evils is a source of disappointment to the President and to the Democrats in both houses of Congress and there are many who believe that a more comprehensive measure can •be enacted at the special session which the President proposes to call. The President has decided not to attempt to force the Senate to act at this session and his present plan is to call a special session to revise tiie tariff and enact proper railway legislation about October 1. Some earnest members of Uougress are, however, urging him to take the tide of sentiment in favor of extending federal control of the railways at its flood and call a special session to meet this Spring, and .while they have not yet convinced him of the wisdom of this course he has taken the matter under consideration. If the Senate were, like the House, elected by direct vote of the people, there is little doubt that Senators would feel the necessity of a special session in the spring to meet the demand for this character of enactment, but under the existing circumstances Senators are decidedly independent and they insist that if the President compels them to meet this spring they will adjourn without action. t t t It is a constant occasion of regret to sincere Democrats to see some of their number stultifying themselves by voting for absolutely un-Democratic bills, as they did last week when the proposition to pay a special subsidy to the Southern Railway of $142,728 was under consideration. It is claimed that it is necessary to pay this sum to the Sontnern Railway in order to obtain quick mail service to the South, but the claim is a specious. one and tbose in a position to know the inside facts declare that the Southern Railway would never take off its fast ’train, even were it to receive no subsidy from the Government. It is not however, entirely the fault of members of Congress that they vote for such measures, but it is due, rather, to their home newspapers which too often insist on such care of the railroads and which would defeat the Representative who dared to vote against “the best home mail service.” A large majority of Republicans and Democrats voted this handsome

present to the Southern Railway and there is little likelihood of its being cut off in the Senate. ft t

The fallacy of the protective argument was never more strikingly illustrated than it has been this winter in connection with the tariff on wheat. For years the farmers have been told that they were protected by the duty of 25 cents a bushel on wheat, although the prices has'been fixed by the Liverpool market and the duty has never afforded the farmer a cent of increased profit. This year, however, a shortage of hard wheat in the Northwest put up the price until the American farmers were receiving 20 cents more a bushel than their brothers just over the Canadian border. Of course the millers did not want to pay the extra price so they appealed to the Secretary of the Treasury to allow them to import the Canadian wheat, pay the duty, grind it into flour, export it and secure, in the form of a drawback, the duty they had paid to the Government. The Secretary of the Treasury appealed to the Attorney General for an opinion and the law officer of the Government has decided in favor of the millers. Senator Hansbrough has, however, introduced a bill in the Senate which will prevent the drawback provisions of the Dingley Act from being applied to wheat. The fate of this bill, which is in the form of an amendment to the Sundry Civil appropriation bill, will determine how willing the Republicans protectionists are actually to pass legislation which will protect the farmers while it somewhat curtails the profits of the Minneapolis millers.