People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1894 — Correspondence. [ARTICLE]

Correspondence.

FROM WASHINGTON. An Interesting BfUch of New* From the Capitol. From our Regular Correspondent. Washington, Sept. 21, 1894. Will the forced resignation of Mr. Jeremiah O’Rourke, Supervising Architect of the Treasury, cause a great political scandal? Many believe that it will, and Mr, O’Rourke’s talk is calculated to increase their number. While he has made no direct changes he says that the asking for his resignation was the result of a conspiracy to force him out ol the office, adding significantly: “As long as I stay at the head of the Supervising Architect’s office I propose to run it straight. If I had been willing to go into deals with the contractors and iivide up with them, there would i ave been no difficulty about my remaining in office.” That is ery serious talk, and if there bf .ny ground for the implied harge it contains, somebody o ight to be shown up and puni - > it be merely the result of sure-headedness at having to give up $4,5u0 a year, Mr. O’Rourke is the party who deserves the punishment. But he doesn’t stop there. He intimates that at least two of his predece.s sors—Potter and Windrim found themselves forced to re sign or wink at irregularities Tne importance of this matter is great. The Supervising Architect’s office has charge of all tht work upon every public building in course of construction throughout the United Stales, and it is a grave thing to intimate Ghat contractors for this work have power enough to force the head of that office out of public life. The reason given out at the Treasury for the Secretary’s asking for Mr. O'Rouke’s resignation i® the long continued friction between him and his chief clerk, and the chief of the law and contract division of his office, which kept the business of the office disturbed all the time. The two officials who couldn’t gee with Mr. O’Rourke are Kentuckians and personal friends of Secretary Carlisle.

Neither the republican nor the democratic Congressional committees have taken any decided position on the silver question; they both tell candidates for Congress that it is a matter for them to settle individually to suit themselves. Consequently there are democratic candidates making their canvass as friends of free coinage and as opponents, a<d H is just the same with the republicans. In this connection the views of Senator Roach, of North Dakota, are interesting. He says: “The all important question in my state is finance. The tariff and all things else are of little importance, compared with silver. The populists, who have a strong organization in the state, are out for free coinage, while neither of the oid parties are-thoroughly committed on the question. The republicans will try to satisfy the silver people with some sort of expression friendly to silver, and the demo crats cannot afford to take any halfway position. The silver question is bound to be the vital

issue in the west, and the democratic party must come out squarely on it. The tariff can no longer be a leading issue. The western people are for silver, without regard to the attitude of either party, and the situation is such as to r< n’ » a readjustment of party linp= probable. In my state a fn 1 stale ticket is to he elected, and the Senate branch of the legislature holds over for four years, and will participate in the elec lion of Sena-or Hansbrough's successor. The three parties are therefore making a hard tight for the legislature, and the populists are strpng en9ugh nQt>

to be without hope of getting the next Senator.” • • • The first step towards getting the sugar bounty before the courts was taken here this week when a Louisiana firm engaged n growing sugar cane and making 6ugar applied to the court fora mandamus to compel Secretary Carlisle to have their plant inspected so as to enable them to collect the bounty on the s igar produced from this year’s crop of cane. The petition was presented to Judge McComas, who directed Secretary Carlisle to show cause on October 4, next, why the mandamus should not issue as prayed. The argument is looked forward to with much interest, although it is thought that a much stronger case can be made for the best sugar mak ers, who have been refused the bounty on sugar that was made oefore the bounty was repealed.

• • • The Civil Service Commission wish to show that all information c mcerning the scope and character of the various examinations for appointment to Federal office may be obtained free by making application direct to the 'ion. Certain parties in Washington and elsewhere have been trading on the credulity of candi* latesfor examination byjnaking i charge for this information which may just, as easily be ob iined for nothing by writing rent to the Civil Service Commission, Washington, D. C.-