People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1895 — Washington Letter [ARTICLE]

Washington Letter

From our regular correspondent. Washington. June 14. 1895. It. is an adage as old as Washington that “the president never hears the truth.” As a rule your correspondent takes little stock in adages and maxims, but unless everybody else is getting the situation wrong the president isn’t hearing the truth about the silver situation. Mr. Cleveland is being assured by every member of his party who visits the White House that the sentiment in favor of silver is on the wane in the south, and with the echoes of that big silver convention at Memphis, participated in by some of the most prominent southern leaders of his party, still ringing through the newspapers, he accepts their assurances as true. It may be true that silver sentiment is dying out in the south, but it seems strange that hundreds of prominent men belonging to all parties who come to Washington, but do not call on President Cleveland, should have failed to make so important a discovery, rhe president is also being assured that Secretary Carlisle's efforts have made it certain that the free silver men wi.l be defeated in Kentucky, and lie will leave on 'his summer vacation witr. that belief. A few weeks will show whether he has been told the truth in that case; the silver men say no. Uncle Sam will soon have a considerable bill to present to China, on account of property belonging to American missionaries recently destroyed by Chinese mobs. and. if later advices sha’l confirm first reports as to the murder of American missionaries. the affair may become more serious than the presentation of a big bill for damages, actual and exemplary. The state department is awaiting official dispatches from our representatives in China, before deciding upon what action shall be taken.

Quite a little flurry of indignation has followed the discovery that among the ninety-nine clerks dismissed from the Pension bureau, in accordance with legislation enacted by the last congress, was Miss Elizabeth N. Key. a granddaughter of Francis Scott Key. author of “The Star Spangied Banner.” Miss Key has been a clerk in the bureau since 1884. has a fair record for efficiency; and is the sole support of her mother, who is blind. A strong effort is being made to secure Miss Key’s reinstatement, and it is believed it will succeed, for notwithstanding the propensity of the average American to say. “there’s no sentiment in business,” everybody knows him to have a vein of sentiment in his nature, which, once aroused thoroughly dominates his action for the time; and if the idea of turning out women descendents of the author of “The Star Spangled Banner.” to starve, or to existon the charity of the world, doesn’t reach that vein of sentiment its outer coating must be growing dangerously hard. Attorney General Harmon agrees with President Cleveland on the financial question, as Mr. Cleveland probaoly knew before he made him a member of his cabinet. Speaking on the subject Judge Harmon said: “In the present situation it seems to me mere lolly to talk about the free coinage of silver. The only way we float the silver we now have is by attaching an applied greenback to every silver dollar —or. in other words, by the government promising to redeem it

with a gold dollar, if necessary, to keep the two equal. Of course there is a very narrow limit to the government s ability to do that, besides I know of no reason why it should do it. If there were free and unlimited coinage of silver the government could not keep the two metals on a parity very long, and the result would be, by the law of money, that has been settled from the time that man had money, the gold would all disappear and there would be only a silver basis.” Needless to say the silver men do not agree with either the Attorney General’s argument or his conclusions. “Flag Day” is being universally observed in Washington today by a display of the national colors upon buildings public and private, business and residential, and upon the persons of men women and children. It’s a good thing and the Sons of the Revolution deserve credit for their efforts to have the anniversary generally observed. It is impossible for any people to love their flag too much, and not a few Americans haveshown a disposition- to love ours too little. The administration is on the eve of a summer separation. The last cabinet meeting has been held and Mr. Cleveland, having issued- his anti - fillibustering proclamation, is ready to join his wife and family at Gray Gables. In accordance with his usual practice the time of his departure will not be announced until after he has gone—no bull intended; a mere statement of fact.