Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 January 1900 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From oar regular correspondent.) If the republican grumblers in the House had nerve in proportion to their dissatisfaction, the McKinley muzzles would be quickly thrown aside and the House would do some business, instead of wasting time, as has been done ever since the reassembling of Congress, waiting until the Committees have prepared some bills in accordance with their instructions, as the democrats stand ready to help them at any time to restore the proper functions of the House. They nearly all have bills in which their constituents are interested, that they would like to get action

upon but thev dare not move" without permission- When the* republican floor leader neglects tel move an adjournment promptly | enough, Speaker Henderson prods J him by saying: *'The gentleman from New -York moves that the House do now adjourn. 7 ’ AsMr. McKinley's agent. Speaker Hen- ’ derson is out-Reeding Tom Reed right alcng. That the republican leaders do not feel sure of their ability to jam S the ship-subsidy job through Congress is shown by the presence in Washington of Ex-Senator Edmunds, who has been employed, J he says by the shipping interests, to lobby for the bill Mr. Ed- ’ munds has made elaborate arguments before the committees off i; the House and Senate in favor of the bill, but those arguments were § not intended for the committees, a j majority of both having been persuaded to support the bill long ago by Boss Hanna and his assistant pushers. Mr. Edmundsy is not a cheap man, and he would not have) been employed if his services had; not been considered necessary.; His aiguments are expected to brace up the weak-kneed republicans who have candidly acknowledged themselves tn be afraid of the ship-subsidy bill, as well as to furnish texts for the republican editors to preach from. 9 9 9 Democrats in the House were by no means satisfied with Secretary Gage’s alleged explanation of' his relations with two National Banks in New York, city, and Rep- ] resentative Sulser offered a resolution, providing for a committee | of nine to investigate. The re-’ publicans had the resolution referred to the Ways and Means Committee, where they can either j smother it or fix it up, as their orders may be. By the way, speaking of Gage and the National Banks, one of his assistants, —Mr. Vanderlip,— has had the nerve to say that such letters as the one ■ from a New York National Bank, jj calling attention to the political status and work of the members of its Board of Directors, as a reason for demanding favors from the Secretary of the Treasury, are often received. If Mr. Vanderlip’s statement be correct, it uncovers a shameful state of affairs, which furnishes the strongest sort of an argument in favor of the democratic contention that the U. S. Treasury should be absolutely divorced from the banking system of the country, and the democrats in Congress should demand copies of every such letter received by the Secretary of the Treasury, in order that the namesof these political bankers may be known to the people of the country.

§ § § It begins to look as though the opposition to the reciprocity treaties negotiated under the Dingley tariff act might be strong enough to defeat them all. Mr. Kasson, who represented .the U. S. in ne- , gotiating them, and who has been active in trying to get favorable action on them, has gone to Florida for his health, and they are now at i a standstill. It is said that he will return later in the session and i resume his efforts in behalf of the I treaties, but their opponents claim j to be gaining strength all the time, j MS Senator-elect Blackburn spent Sunday in Washington, receiving the congratulations of his friends, but returned to Kentucky Monday ! so as to be present at his second | re-election, Tuesday, which was j gone through so as to leave no') rocm for casting doubt on the le- j gality of his election. When he • comes back to Washington, to re-) sume his duties as Senator, he will be given a complimentary dinner,' which promises to be an old-sash- > ioned democratic love-feast, par- .1 ticipated in bv all the democrats' in Congress and by many others. 9 11 The friction between Gen. j Miles and Adjutant General Corbin has reached an acute stage, and Miles has filed a vigorous protest with Secretary Root, in which he asked whether he or Corbin! was in command of the Army, and ■ citied instances where Corbin had pigeon-holed orders which did not suit him, instead of issuing them, i 9 9 1 It seems that one of Boss Hanna’s I chief literary agents, First Assistant Postmaster General Perry Heath, has also been sharing in the administration’s financial favor. Last June, Perry Heath became, the largest stock-holder in the Seventh National Bank of New York City, of which his brother became Vice President, and that immediately that bank was made the depository for postoffice funds : in New York. Of course, neither' politics nor Heath’s official posi-! tion had anything to do with it.; Whoever heard of one of the Hanna school of politicians working his official position for his personal profit?