San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-10-31
WASHINGTON LETTER.

washing ton, ~ ", OcI' &c W.
DAILY LIGHT:
/ saw today what most sincerely
hope will never again he seen-an
ex-President of the United States
Mr.. Cleveland, making an argument
before the U. s. Supreme Court, up
on the bench of which sat two men,
chief justice Fuller and justice La
mar, who were appoin ted by him.
Understand, I do not wish to even
imply that the two Justices referred
to would knowingly allow the fact
that they owed their places to Mr..
Cleveland, as President, prejudice
their minds in favor of the case re-
presented 10y Mr.. Cleveland, the
lawyer, but, there is something in
the situation which jars discordantly
upon ones ideas OF the fitness of
things. Mr.. Cleveland never had a
case before the Supreme Court before
he was President, andhe never would
have appeared in that court but for
the fact of his having been President,
and the suspicion naturally arises
hopedto gain some advan tage through
his prominence and his relation with
the two men he had placed upon the
bench. 1t may be unjust, -probab
lv is-but it will not down, and l
trust that no other ex-President, who
has sppoin ted part nf its memb er-
ship will ever again make an argu-
ment before the Supreme Court. II
would not be bad idea for Congress
to pass q Law on the ubject, although
1t might be supposed that the natural
judgment and good taste of our ex
Presidents should be sufficient. Mr.
Cleveland Is member of firm, sew
ersl members of which are far better
advocates than he is. Why couldn't
one of them have made this argu,
ment? Simply because it was the
ex-President and not the lawyer that
was wanted. Let us have no more
of IL, say I.
The republican congressional cam
paign committee Is apparently conf
dent of controlling the next house by
good working majority, notwith-
standing democratic shot guns 10 the
south and outrageous gerrymander-
ing IN the northern states which ac-
cidently have democratic legislatures
The committee very sensibly refuses
to make public list of the districts
because it has no desire to furnish
the democrats with information.
Civil Service commissioner Roose-
welt, in stating officially that all fed
eral office holders who violated the
civil service law as to receiving or
making contributions for political
purposes would be prosecuted, gave
the democrats an excellent opportuni-
~ to prove some of their wild state
ments about government employees
being compelled to contribute to the
republican campaign fund, but they
have not taken advantage of it, for
the very good reason that there has
been no violation of law, except in
the imagination of excited and de-
moralized democrats. who seeing
themselves beaten are trying to ex
plain their defeat by yelling "boodle I"
A party which starts campaign as
the democrats did this one, with the
avowed intentio of taxing by legal
frauds, In the shape of legislative
gerrymanders, RI districts, and by
illegal frauds-suppressed votes 80
more, to which it is not justly entitled
does not show up well as an accuser.
The president and his cabinet will
take part in the unwilling of the
statue to the brave men who lost
their lives on the Jeanette Arctic ex-
petition erected in the grounds Of the
naval academy at Annapolis, Mary
land, Thursday. The statue was
erected by act of congress.
Superintendent Porter of the Gen.
sus bureau has returned. He says
there will be no recount of the popu-
lstion of New York city. Secretary
Noble is of the SAME opinion. They
ought to know.
The attempt of the democrats to
make o little late political capital by
claiming that the Mckinley tariff
law was void, because the clause re-
lating to the reduction in the tobacco
tax was not engrossed in the copy Of
the bill which the president signed,
fell very fiat here In the first place,
Representative Bayne, who was one
of the conferees on the bill, says the
tobacco clause was Intentionally left
out, as it was not to 60 into effect I'M
til January /, next; and In the next
place its being left out could not pos
sibly effect the rest of the bill. 1t is
common for errors of omission to oc-
cur In engrossing long bills, and it
excites no comment here. If the
omission is important it is corrected
by joint resolution of congress, other
wise nothing is done. sour friends,
the enemy" will have to try again.
r.
RoId ReVOIutionfstS.