People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1894 — Correspondence. [ARTICLE]

Correspondence.

FROM WASHINGTON. An Interesting Batch of News From the Capitol. From our Regular Correspondent. Washington, Oct. 12, 1894. Two distinguished officials have, during the present week, make statements on the same subject that are difficult to reconcile. Senator Faulkner, of West Virginia, who is chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said that there never was a time when it was so difficult to get contributions from federal officials, and that about the only ones who had contributed what might be considered their quota were the employes at the capital. There is quite an interesting little story about the manner in which the contributions of the capital employes, some 1,300 in number, were secured. It is said that each of them agreed to chip in 8 J, and that the money was pid with the understanding t it a joint resolution would be p it through Congress allowing t iu an extra month’s pay. 1’ ie resolution was introduced all. mill enough, but owing to opposition in unexpected quarters n. iailed to pass. But to •retai n to those opposiie statements; it is gathered from that of Senator Faulkner that the government employes are not contributing. Now, look at the

o tier >ide. Civil Service Commissioner Roosevelt said, in a published interview, that the c >mmission was having no end of trouble because of the political assessment of government employes and that he did not recall any non-presidential election year in which the commission had had so much trouble from that source. One or the other must be either badly misinformed or have wrongly summed up the facts. The Populists are, as the saying is, “just tickled to death” over Hoke Smith’s explanation of the falling off of the democratic majority in Georgia. They say that if Mr. Smith will only do a little more explaining of the same sort he will make Populists out of thousands of Democrats in the Southern States. He says in effect that the vote in Georgia has convinced him of the necessity of the Democratic party standing up squarely for the Cleveland silver policy. Mr. Smith io being roundly abused by the silver Democrats for what they call his “impolitic utterances against silver” in the midst of a campaign in whieh that party expects to elect two-thirds of the members it will have in the next house with the votes of men who believe in the free and ununited coinage of silver. It is tinted' that it was the indiscreet nature of Secretary Smith’s speeches that caused President Cleveland to order that members > the administration should not take active part in the campaign.

A quorum of the cabinet have gone to Batavia, N. Y., ostensibly only to hear Secretary Carlisle deliver a carefully prepared address on the life and character of his distinguished predecessor of revolutionary fame, Robert Morris, but it is regarded as altogether probable that they will take advantage of the opportunity to put in a few licks that will help along the campaign, now just getting on a full head of steam. ' • • • The Mexican minister to the United States is in a state of mind because of a publication stating that Mexico was .plotting to annex all the rest of the Central American republics. He denies the story and says there was no foundation whatever therefor. If the minister is cor-

rect the man who furnished the details with which the annexation story abounded is gifted with an extraordinary imagination. • • • A gentleman who visited the Democratic and Republican Congressional committee headquarters says that he received s.u» antiaily the same answer at both places to his question as to the present outlook and that stripped of all verbiage it was: “We are certain to control the next house, if the Populists do not elect enough members to hold the balance of power.” Odd, wasn’t it?

Those politicians who thought that Senator Cameron was only making believe that he intended to enter the field as a candidate for the Presidential nomination of his party, basing his claims for the nomination on his favor' ing the free coinage of silver, are slowly getting their eyes opened to the fact that whatever others may mean, Cameron means business and is really out-for that nomination; Thousands of free silver documents are being daily sent out from Washington under Senator Cameron’s frank. Senator Cameron cannot compete with the orators of his party who are seeking the Presidential nomination, but he has a long head, and a longer purse, and will be heard from when the delegates to the na tional convention are rounded up. • • • The general impression in Washington is that the independent Democratic candidate for governor of New York will not get enough support to make him a factor 'in the tight. Both Democratsand Republicans seem to be of the opinion that he will only get the votes of those who would not, under any circumstances have voted for either Hill or Morton.