Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1890-08-01
VOLUME XXXI.-NUMBER 36.
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Regular Correspondence of the Standard.


fore known. The consequence will
be that the Secretary of the Treasury,
having to buy 1900, 900 ounces month
ly at the market price, will soon have
all there is in the world; for which
the taxpayers will be charged an ex-
orbitant price.
1t was expected that the majority
OF the Senate would arbitrarily change
the rules to permit itself to rush
through the purely partisan measure,
the Federal Election Bill. But at the
first Republican caucus meeting, some
of the members refused to adopt the
shameless methods of the speaker OF
the House; and nothing but debate
on that subject has yet been done.
Mr.. Blaine has had to bring down
the lash on the majority OF the Senate
to keep it straight. He does it
through an open letter to MIR. Frye.
He denounces the Mckinley tariff bill,
and says 1T will not open market
for another bushel OF wheat or another
barrel of pork"
In the House bill appropriating
$636, ,lS9, for an additional clerical
force, numbering S36 for the Pension
Bureau, was called. Mr.. Enloe, of
Tenn, thought that before any in
crease OF force be granted the Pension
Bureau, it should be ascertained
whether the charges brought against
the present Commissioner were true.
1t had been alleged that the Pension
Office was corrupt from top to bottom;
and lie himself believed the Office
reeking with corruption in every de-
partment. He declared that every
other department bureau was open to
investigation, and was conducted on
business principles. About that bureau
there appeared to be somsthing
sacred, or something rotten; and i'll
his opinion, the reason the bureau had
not been investigated, was because OF
desire to conceal the rOttcnness
which was known.
Mr.. Cooper, of Indiana, said that
facts had come to his knowledge which
substantiated the rumOrs which had
been circulated in the newspapers re.
specting the Commissioner of Pen
sions. He was ready to prove before
competent committee that the charges
were true. He expected to prove that
the Commissioner OF Pensions had
outrageously sold out ruling in be-
half of firm of pension attorneys in
Washington. He was favorable to the
appropriation made by the bill but he
believed that if the Commissioner of
Pensions would devote the time for
which the government paid him to
discharge the duties OF his bureau, in
stead of becoming president and chief
manager OF a refrigerating institution,
based, possi0iN on no substantial
foundation, there would be no neces-
sity for so considerable a number Of
clerks. "The bureau should be ad-
ministcred honestly, and charge be-
fore the country that this is not the
case at present, and investigation will
show it."
During this discussion, Mr.. Mckinley
got in severe slap on the hard cheek
OF Speaker Reed. A few days before
Speaker Reed had arrogated to him
self the powers of grand jury. Mr.
Cooper had made his charges against
the Commissioner in the House, and
was cited to appear before the Com
mittee ON Rules, to show cause why
he had offered the resolution to inves-
tigate the Commissioners Office. Mr..
Cooper was reluctant to 60 before this
committee on Rules, as there was no
reason why he should be expected to
20 before a secret committee, where
he could call for neither persons or
papers, and be asked to prove charges
against Commissioner Raum which
were matter of newspaper notoriety.
He felt it was purely device to make
him show his hand. But realizing
that in view of Speaker Reeds tactics
in no other way was it possible to Sc
cure any kind of an inquiry, after
some delay and persuasion of some OF
the other members, he consented to
appear. He first asked the autOcrat,
Reed, why he should be ordered be-
fore the speakers own committee,
which was not expected to consider
such matters; and received supercil-
ious reply. Before the same COM
mittee, Mr.. Cooper made the same
statement he had made before the
House. The speaker asked if he could
prove his statement by witnesses; and
he said he could. The speaker de-
manded the names of those witnesses,
which Mr.. Cooper declined to give.
And here was exhibited Speaker
Reeds arbitrary method of dealing
with public questions. A stenographer
had taken down Representative Coop
er's statement, and when he asked for
record thereof, he was informed that
he could not have one.
Well, Mr.. Mckinley, on taking the
floor, sad that owing 70 serious illness
in bis fas,ily he haA not been able to
attend the above mentioned meeting
of the Committee on Rules. So far as
any investigation of Gen. Raum was
concerned if any gentleman would
rise in his place and charge irregulari-
ties or corruption, or dishonesty or
unfair dealing on the part of the Com
missioner-that would tie sufficient
.rason for him to give his vote for an
linvea ;Sation.
The ill was passed Saturday by the
House, after Il great discussion.