Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1886-02-13
CAPITAL GOSSIP.

! Sev,ral prominent newspapers recently pub
lished interviews from their Washington cor
respondents with Mr.. r, s. De nent, surveyor
general Of Utah, IN regard to enormous land
frauds which he had discovered in Utah, and
in which government officers and others
were involved. Before the the committee on
public lands Of the senate, Mr.. Dement, de.
MED the authenticity OF the interviews, an l
in reply to the Senator Teller, said he had no
evidence, and had made no discoveries that
would throw suspicion on any government
tai official or member of congress. In reply
| to an irquiry from Governor Muir
ray. asking Mr.. Dement, if he was
responsible for connecting him with the pub
lcations. Mr.. De nent replied by telegraph
that all dispatches purporting to contain an
int rvlew with me are baseless fabrications.
The correspondents who telegraphed
the interview to their papers requested
t. be heard in sup or of their
dispatches, and meeting of the
committee was called for that purpose. Mr..
John H. Corwin, of thu Chicago Times read
TO the committee the interview published by
his paper on Saturday last, and testified chat
! it was the substance of conversation which
he had with Mr.. Demont on Friday. The in>
formation was given ny Mr.. Dement, unhes-
i'atingly and without reserve, bnt as Mr.,
Corwin was leaving the room, M. Dement,
said that he would prefer that the matter
should not be used at this time, as it was
only part of the stcry. Several other corr
| re fect aI fpf ba
Most of the Dakota statesmen who have
figured at Washington of late are homeward
bound with varying reports, but evidently
convinced that is useless to pay hotel bills
there longer. Col. Benton, Fargo delegate
who was II lieved to be the most likely suc>
cesscr of Gov. Pierce, has just reached home,
and in an interview gives as the result of hts
Investigations at the White House and among
Leading Democrats, that the disc rdant views
! of leading Republicans there will prevent
any action on Dakota measures except, pos
sibly. o passage of an enabling act for a
public sentiment in the territory in favor of
statehood. The north is becoming more reluct-
ant to remain a territory, if any portion is
admitted, and sees little chance to come in
by itself for many years, and for this reason
it is becoming united il favor of single
state. The south portion is still more anx.
ious to come into the Union. It prefers to
rather than to remain out for an indefinite
period.
III 81 ;r;, IL,
charging the Ball Telephone company with
! iEstigating the attack now wsging upon the
attorney general, Secretary Lamar and other
fficials holding stock in the Pan Electric
Telephone company, and that the Bell COM
pany have boosted that they would drive am
man cut of official life who attempts to lit.
gate their patents or question them. The att
Iofneys of the Bell company do not deny
these charges, nor do they try to controvert
the sta ement that the Ball people hope by
he political furry they are creating to es-
, ape anything like a strong test of their
patents. Since these charges have teen
| made public opinion is fast changing to the
side of the administration. and thu I'll COM
pany have no sympathy. On the contrary
people hope that the truth will be known
about the manner in which the first Bell pat
ents were procured, and that verdict will
be rendered upon it, thus crushing what they
term monopoly with the aulacity that es-
| :ays to dictate the course of the administra
tion. President Cleveland has expressed
the fullest confidence in the honor
Of the attorney general and it
looks as though the embryo scandal
was at all ena, and the Governme t would
soon be testing the work of the wcu'd-te die
| tat rs.
The question as to how to keep from the
public what takes place in executive
sessions of the Sc nate is being agitated again,
and the publicity which has been given to the
recent demand of the senate upon cabinet
officers for information resp citing the re-
movals of federal officers appears to be very
annoying tn some members of IL e upper house
In discussing the mat err those most ark Gus
to Ike, p their moven ents secret apparently
lose sight of the fact that the Warrington cor
respond ent makes careful study of the Iro-
ceedings of congress, end never for a moment
losses track of the most trivial committee
me citing, party conference. or ev n expires.
sion of opinion by an individual. These
characteristics Of the intelligent reportt,
places him in position to indicate almost IT,
certainty whit is going on in conference
aucus or ex cutive sessions and unless the
representatives of leading journals are pro-
Iibited by law from reporting the proceed =
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