Nevada County picayune., 1888-12-05
WASHINGTON TOPICS.
Weekly Budget of News From the
 National Capital.
From our Special Correspondent.l

sage to Congress is all complete, ana l has been submitted to his cabinet at
 a meeting called for the purpose, but what it's contents are, nobody out side knows. or is likely to know until
 the document is read at the Capitol
 Monday. The members of the cabi-
 net will only say that it is very
 strong and interesting document,
 and that it will be we'll worthy q place along with the other state pa pers which Mir Cleveland has written. Speaking of the message reminds me that Mir. Cleveland has been particu- larly fortunate in never having had any .'leaks" in his administration
 through which public documents, such as presidential messages. have reached the public prematurely. His is the first administration for many years entirely free of these "leaks.
 On the eye of the first Thanksgiy
 ing day after Secretary Whitney took charge of the Navy Department, he inaugurated the pretty custom of presenting to each one of the four hundred 'employes of that depart ment with q big fat turkey. The custom has been regularly kept up ever since. and last "Wednesday the employees of that department re- ccived for the last time this practi- cal evidence of the Secretary's inter- est in their welfare. This year Post master-General Dickinson followed the good example set by Secretary Whitney, and presented each of the employees of his department with the finest turkey to be had. These tur keys were greatly enjoyed, It is eN- tremely doubtful whether the new Secretary of the Navy and Postmas- ter-General will follow the excellent example set them by the Democratic officials.
 Believing in the old adage that the early bird catches the worm, Repre- sentative Cannon, of Illinois, has opened headquarters here and began an active canvass for the Speaker ship of the next House of Rcpresen tatives. Messas. Butterworth, Me kinley, Reed X Co.,, will, however. make the fight interesting as soon as they get here. IL is generally thought that either Reed or Mckinley will he Speaker.
 Democratic members of Congress are as q rule extremely retcent as to what line of policy they will adopt at the coming session of Congress; they nearly all express d desire to confer with their Democratic colleagues be- fore committing themselves. An eX- ception to this rule is Representative Springer, of Illinois. He insists that one of the first things the House will do will be to pass his Oklahoma bill for the admission of at least four Territories into the niOn aS States. l
 The clerks in the Government de- partments in this city, below the grade of chief, are all in an easy state of mind just at present. They | have become convinced that ilarri- | son is genuine civil service reform CT. and that there will be no clean sweep when he comes in. The prln- | cipal cause of this belief was an artl- ! clc in our local papers, taken from the editoral columns of the lndianap- olis Journal. apaper which k thought to he Harrison home organ, which warned the Republicans not to eN- pcct a clean sweep. There may not be clean sweep. but in my opinion. at tue close of Harrison term there will not be one Democrat in office here for each ten Republicans now drawing Uncle sam $ pay. In other words, don't believe that Harrison will keep onc-tcnth as many Demo crat, in office as MT. Cleveland has kept Republicans.
 Harrison's s Southern policy con tinues to be q subject of general dis cussion here. The opinion is almost
 unanimous among the members of
 both parties, that Harrison's admin istration will be very conservative
 one unless something new, entirely unexpected, should occur. l don't
 think the South has anything to fear at the hands of Harrison. If many things that now have a sofnewhat troublesome look are left severely
 alone, they will adjust themselves;
 chief among this class of thingsis the negro question. l am certain from information derived from Republican sources that Harrison will appoint
 no negro to any prominent federal of fee in the south. In fact, there
 is an undoubted disposition among
 Republicans to relegate the negro to back seats in future. He IS no lon
 CT of any practical use to that party,
 therefore, they will give him nothing. When Congress opens Monday it i is doubtful whether either House will