Show OCR Correspond eiK e of the washington jan politicians as well as republics are ungrateful if evidence of this were needed it is bbown by the contemptible course of the republicans in both houses of the present congress in their cowardly and treacherous treatment of two of the most conservative and fair minded men in public life justice lamar and speaker carlisle if possible mr carlisle has been treated more basely than mr lamar by the shameless demagogues who hold sway in the councils of the demoralized zed republican party while they privately admitted the justice of the speakers claim to his seat in public they used all their efforts to prevent consideration of the case even resorting to filibustering which has never been done before except when it was apparent that the minority was being deprived of its just rights by majority in this instance no such provocation was available the republicans are fairly chargeable with uselessly wasting two days of valuable time of congress though candor compels the admission that the thirty five democratic absentees were not entirely blameless had they been in their seats the republicans could not have prevented a quo nun by declining to vote although tho validity of mr carlisles claim is at last established the friends of mr phoebe declare that the end is not yet that the matter must be reconsidered by congress and that the people will be appealed to for the vindication of their man in the ways and means committee the tariff question has not yet been openly discussed except very briefly when mr mckinley of ohio proposed to present his bill repealing the tobacco tax he was summarily suppressed on the the plea that specific tariff legislation was not in order until a bill of a general character could bo framed from the outset it was plain that there could be no harmony of views between the democrats and the republican members of this committee therefore the majority have wisely concluded to formulate a bill of their own before submitting it to the consideration of the minority who will also present a bill each evening members of the majority are holding bechet conferences and the work is making substantial progress really is much further advanced than usual this early in the season the main object is to largely reduce the revenue and the next end in view is to bring the matter home to the people by including in the list as many articles and commodities of common consumption as poss sible all interests manufacturing as well as commercial and agricultural will bo conserved and a liberst compromise measure is as much as need be expected under present circumstances the blair educational bill which is some of the unfinished business on the senate calendar has received a blow from an unexpected quarter is from an authority carrying much weight and of special significance in asmuth as it proceeds from one who until recently was on tho united states supreme bench the allusion is to ex justice strong who expresses the opinion that tho bill in question is unconstitutional he also stated it is his belief that alie present members of that court hold the same view no one has so good an opportunity as judge strong of being in their confidence senator report of the condition and methods of conducting business fin the executive depart mentho men tso washington is about ready for submission to the senate it is tho result of an investigation conducted by himself and colleagues of the special committee last summer it is reported that several will bo unsparingly critis od and many important changes recommended it is said the report in reference to the land office will likely cause a ocasa tion the new cabinet officers have not yet made any changes but around both departments that mr vilas and mr dickson vill soon begin to make authority felt in a way decidedly unpleasant to many republicans who have been spared too long |