The Portland daily press., 1886-06-30

certain soldier GA lie ground that the soldier
was deserter. The Representative, who is
Mr. Taulbee, went to the pension office and
Investigated the case for himself. He has
found a report of the captain of the old
soldiers company. This report shows that
the latter. though reported as deserter, was
taken prisoner and carried to Andersonville,
where he died. Now Mr.. Cleveland steps in
with his veto and says that the widow or
orphan children of this soldier who died for
his country in Andersonville, shall not have
the benefit of a pension, because by mis-
take the father was put upon the rolls as a
deserter. Undoubtedly Mr.. Cleveland was
not aware of the facts of the case but when
he presumes to sit in judgment on the doings
of the two houses of Congress, it is his bust
ness to be informed of all the circumstances.
In the House of Representatives on Mon
day Mr.. Reed unearthed what appears very
much like scheme to put money into the
pockets of the proprietors of Washington
Democratic newspapers at the expense of
the government. A paragraph in the sun
dry civil bill provides that no government
property in any part of the country shall be
sold without first being advertised in
Washington newspaper to be designated by
the President. No matter how insignii-
cant the property or where situated before
it can be sold an announcement of the gov
ernments intention to sell it must first ap-
pear in paper printed at the capital. OF
course the only purpose such law as that
can serve is to benefit the Washington
paper that gets the advertisement. Mr..
Randall says that the paragraph was sug-
gested by the Secretary of the Navy. Now
it has been alleged for some time past that
the Secretary of the Navy was interested in
three Washington newspapers of which Mr..
Stilson Hutchins is the ostensible proprie-
tor. Attorney General Garland may not
long be so lonesome as he has been.
Among the remarkable features of the
campaign now going on in the United King
dom none are more interesting than the rev.
Citations of communications that have passed
in times past, between the hostile camps.
The so-called Parnell-Carnarvon incident
was first; when, as Mr.. Parnell charged in
the House of Commons, Lord Carnarvon, as
lord lieutenant of Ireland in Salisbury's To-
ry cabinet, proposed, in aprivate conference,
plan granting measure of home rule to
Ireland. 1t has not been proved that Lord
Salisbury was aware of this overture of Car
naryon to Parnell. But during this campaign
Mr.. Gladstone has not hesitated to argue that
Salisbury undoubtedly did know and ap-
prove of it, and has thereby done much to
discredit the pretended horror Of the Tory
leaders at the thought of home rule. The
latest subject Of dispute is communication
which Mr.. Gladstone says he made to the
Tories The Liberal leader says that short
ly after the general elections of last year, he
offered to support Lord Salisbury's Tory gov
eminent, which had not yet been overthrown
on the famous three acres and cow" mo-
ton Of Mr.. Ceilings, in preparing on nom
partisan grounds a scheme of home rule for
Ireland. Mr.. Gladstone's oyertures were made
in letter to Mr.. Arthur Balfour, Lord
Salisbury's nephew. The lines proposed by
Mr.. Gladstone were similar to those which
Carnarvon had suggested to Parnell; but the
Tories do not seem to have been Jealous
enough for home rule to accept aid that
would have practically ensured the solution
of the question Now, when Mr.. Gladstone
recalls his offer to the Tories, Mr. Balfour
makes an eyasive statement intended to dis
credit the premier's assertion. Whatever
practical effect the disclosures of these po-
litical secrets may have upon the voters of
the Kingdom, the leaders at least should
learn that it is perilous business to hold
communication with the camp of the enemy.
English statesmen are much better at pro-
posing unnatural alliances than at keeping
political secrets.