The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1890-11-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. Is.

A few members OF Congress are mere,
and within few days the city will be-
gin to fill up with Senators and members.
Senators Blackburn. Spooner, Cockrell.
Mcpherson, Barbour, Dolph, Hawley
and German are here, and Represents
tive Lodge, of Massachusetts, will arrive
next week. Geo. w. Shenk, of Wilkes
barre, Pa, was one of the first perhaps
the first of the members-elect of the Fiji
tv-second Congress to reach Washington
last evening. His district now repre-
scented by Mr.. Osborne gave Pattison
$500 majority, but Mr.. Shenk was elect
ed on account Of his personal popuari-
ty. and the splendid organization of the
Republican party in his district. In
conversation he stated that he had come
to Washington on private business. He
| regarded Pattison as an accidental gov
ernor, and one who will be showed I'M
der by 10000 majority in 1892. AS for
the Presidential campaign, Blame was
the idol OF the people. Senator Spooner
does not appear to be very unhappy
on account of his failure to get legisla-
ture in Wisconsin which could return
him to the place in the Senate which he
has filed so ably. In answer to in
quiries in regard to the cause of his de-
feat he stated that it was impossible for
the Republicans to succeed in Wiscon-
sin at the election just passed. The at
titude in which they were placed on the
school question, rendered success for
them impossible. The utterances of
some of the leading Republican papers
on the school question offended the
Lutherans, Germans, and foreign popul-
alton generally. On being asked if he
thought the Democrats might with Re-
publican assistance amend the McKin-
ley bill IN the direction of reductions by
dealing with one feature at a time, he
stated that they might do this. The bill
is subject to amendment, and they may
amend it at the next Congress by bring
ing forward propositions which would
secure Republican votes in the Senate.
The Democrats had better 60 a little
slow and not enjoy too much the foreign
abuse of Major Mckinley, or foreign re-
ioicing over the recent Democratic VIC
tory. The manner of demonstration is
not likely to injure Major McKinley's
political prospects for the future, nor
will it tend to hasten repeal of, or even
change N, the measure of which he
was the author. Foreign allies, in the
long run, are not apt to prove helpful
to politicallparties in this country. and
united foreign abuse of a public man in
this country will hardly have the effect
of driving the object of abuse from pub
lie life.
The Democratic party is making a
great mistake is asserting that the Presl-
dental contest of '92 is already won. In
the past, political parties have shouted
oyer landslide victories, and by their
unwise action, and their failure to right
ly account for the causes which gave
them success, haye seen their landslide
victories soon turned into overwhelming
defeat.
On account of the panic in Wall street
which is ascribed universally to the
scarcity of money, Secretary Window of
the Treasury Department has resorted
to the only available means of easing the
money market in New York. Yester-
day afternoon he issued an order to the
Assistant Treasurer at San Francisco, to
receive deposits of funds from bankers
desiring to transfer the same by tele-
graph to the Assistant Treasurer at New
York. This is done to enable persons
in New York, having funds IN SaniF ran
CISCO that are needed there, to transfer
them for immediate use to New York.
The department will also accord this
privilege ia other points at which there
are sub-treasuries, should it act as a
means of affording any relief at the pre-
sent time.
The statement of Secretary Window
showing the amount of gold coin and
bullion in the Treasury, and of gold GER
tiicates outstanding for the last ten day
period ending Yesterday, which will be
published to-day, shows that the total
gold in thetreasury, (coln and bullion)is
1922 ,512, $50; gold certificates in treasury
$39, 437 $50; gold certificates in circuia-
ton $l35 1868, 769; net gold in treasury,
(coin and bullion) $157 $50, 3S1.
Gen. A. W. Greedy, chief signal service
officer, has made an admirable report of
the past years work of the signal corps.
Your correspondent herewith makes
some reference to principal points, feel
ing that they will be of interest. The
accuracy of weather and temperature
predictions during the year has been
raised IL per cent. The percentages of
successful weather forecasts were 84.4 for
weather, and 1877 for temperature. Out
of Liz storm predictions 1,040 were
verified as to direction and 754 as to
velocity. The percentage of successful
forecasts of cold waves was SO, which is
certainly an excellent record. Consider
ably over million weather maps were
issued during the year. There were g.
600 violent storms causing the death of
1,071 persons and destroying property
to the amount of $23 ZOO, 900, and So tor
nadoes killing 755 people and DESTROY