Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-08-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from our regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, July 81, 1891.
There is no longer room for doubt
that Mr.. Blaine's friends propose MAX
ing war upon Mr.. Harrison's candida
cy. They have come to the conclusion
that there is no other way of silencing
the masked batteries of the Harrison
forces which have been persistently
shelling Blaine at every opportunity.
A republican whose relations to the re-
publican machine are intimate and in
fuential said to a republican friend
here: "Blaine doesn't want the nomi-
nation, and he Is perfectly willing that
Harrison shall have it; but his friends
are not. They have received but little
recognition from Harrison, and that
little under protest, during his first ad-
ministration, and they know that they
may expect less should he be again
elected; therefore they propose taking
the matter in their own hands by see
ing that Blaine is nominated, even if
it is against his Wishes"
This movement is the direct outcome
of the belief that there has been sys-
tematic effort on the part of Mr.. Har-
Nson's immediate family and close
friends, first to belittle the work which
Mr.. Blaine has done as Secretary of
State, and later to drive him out of
public life by misrepresenting the state
of his health, and it is difficult to find
an intelligent man in Washington, no
matter what his political opinion may
be, who does not believe that such an
effort has been made, and not few of
them believe that Mr.. Harrison was
fully cognizant Of what was being done,
Notwithstanding his profession of the
most cordial friendship for Mr.. Blaine.
Treasury department officials seem to
have no difficulty in interpreting the
law just as the leaders of the republi-
can party wish it interpreted. A case
in point is the decision of the Com
missioner of Immigration that skilled
tin-plate workers may be brought to
the country under contract without
violating the law. Such decision was
necessary in order to bolster up the
manufacture of tin plate, which has
grown so rapidly, on paper, since the
Mckinley bill became a law, and it was
promptly given, on the ground. to
quote the official language of the Com
missioner, that "the law plainly in
tended that skilled labor may be inn
ported into the United States to do the
work of an industry not yet established,
provided skilled workmen in that in
dustry cannot be found among our own
people," If that be the proper con-
struction of alien contract law it is now
in order for the Chicago merchant to
inquire why he was compelled to send
the Japanese (inritska men back to
Japan. That would certainly have been
new industry.
The continued absence of Commits
sioner Raum from his post of duty is
exciting much unfavorable comment.
Up to July |, he had been away from
his office 25O days, and on the 3 of
the month he went away and has
not yet returned. All this time he Is
supposed to be devoting to his private
business while he draws salary of
$4,000 a year to devote his time to the
business of the Pension bureau: but it
may be set down as certain that his
superior officers believe that he is also
doing some work for Mr.. Harrison
among the old soldiers or he would not
be allowed to spend so much time away
from his Office.
A number of Republicans of promi-
nence have been here trying to per-
suade Indian Commissioner Morgan
to reverse his recently announced atti-
Catholic policy In running the Indian
schools; they told him that his action
would cost the republican party thous-
ands of Catholic votes, and that it was
not justified by the facts, which show
that much good has been done in the
Indian country by Catholic priests and
schools, but he continues obstinate,
and has intimated that his course is
fully approved of by the administra-
ton.
According to story told here, com.