Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-10-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From our Regular Correspondents
WASHINGTON. Sept. 81, 1899.

w NASiAANuAo-S' SSPe' 49, AS~~'
The President and Mrs. Harrison
returned to Washington this after
noon. This time they have come to
stay, and the White House again
becomes the center of public inter
est. The real work of the
administration will now begin
in earnest. Tomorrow a meet
ing 70 the cabinet will be held to
discuss number of important mat
ters, not the least of which will be
who is to succeed Corporal Tanner
as Commissioner of Pension.
The President already has his mes
sage to Congress sketched in outline.
The details will, Of course, require
many consultations with the mem
bers of his cabinet and the party
leaders.
Representative Ben Butterworth,
the popular son of Ohio. who has
just returned from a trip to Europe,
was given a welcome home toms ght
that must have warmed his big heart
to its 1nnermost parts. At least
three thousand people took part in
the reception which was held in the
old skatingrink. Hon. s. S. Shell
labarger delivered the address of
welcome and a number of other
gentlemen, includeing Senator Sher-
man, made short speeches. The re-
ply of Mr.. Butterworth was a gem
in its way, and could have been
made by few men so WE'LL Mr..
Butterworth will take the stump
in Ohio for Governor Foraker in
a few days. The reception was
held under the auspices Of the Ohio
Republican Association of this city.
Senator Sherman is urging the
appointment Of eN-representative
Brown, Of Ohio, as Commissioners of
Pensions. He told Secretary Noble
that the resignation of Mr. Tanner,
owing to the peculiar and somewhat
mysterious circumstances attending
it, was doing the party much harm
in Ohio, and that he thought the ap-
pointment of Mr.. Brown would be
the best means Of restoring good
feeling among the Ohio veterans.
Almost a quoram of the Senate
has been in Washington during this
week. The majority Of the Sena-
tors were only here for a day or two
as they returned from their summer
vacations, and had little to say on
political matters. At least dozen
of the shrewdests newspaper men in
town successfully tackled Senator
Quay for an interview but the junior
Senator from the Keystone State
knocked them out in one, two three
| order without the slightest tumble.
There are few men in public life har-
der to interview than Mr.. Quay, and
yet no man is easier to approach.
The return to this city of Commits
sioner Roosevelt, Of the Civil Service
Commission has started anew the
fight in the present civil service law.
Mr.. Roosevelt is being more or less
harshly criticised by Republicans
who believe the present civil service
law to be a colossal humbug, and
their number is legion, for having
said in a newspaper interview that it
would be party treachery for Re
publican congressman to attack on
the floor OF the house the present civ
il service law. Said a Republican
representative @Mr. Roosevelt makes
the mistake of thinking that those
who oppose the present law are op-
posed to reform in the civil service
law. The great majority Of those
who are agitating the repeal of the
present law are doing it because they
have become satisfied that no reform
has been or is likely to be effected by
it. These men are in line with the
best sentiment of the Republican
party in desiring a true reform in our
civil service but they can see no good
in continuing the present cumber-
some and expensive law law. Pro-
gress has ever been synonymous with
the methods of the Republican party,
and in my opinion progress toward a
better civil service demands the re-
peal of the present law. | was a
working Republican before Mr.Rose-
velt ever cast a vote, and think the
Republicans in congress can decide
this question without any advice
from either of the gentlemen who
are drawing $1,000 year as COM
missioners under this law.
Secretary Window has asked for
and received the resignation Of J. K.
Kimball, director of the mint, and
Col. Switzler, commissioner OF sta
tistics. Mr.. E. 0. Leech, who has
been in the Office number of years,
and who is now acting director of
the mint, will assume that Office Octo-
Der Is, when Mr.. Kimball's resignar
tion takes effect. The presence in
Washington of Mr.. Joseph Nimmo,
whom Mr.. Switsler succeeded early
IN the Cleveland administration,
makes it generally believed that he