Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1891-07-16
WASHINGTON NOTES,
The NeWs From the National Capital as it
Effects the Interests of the West
ern Farmers.
Our Correspondent Tells What Our Of
fciais are Doing in the Capital

HciGis are Doing in the Capital
rs ":."- City.
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 6.-Specaal
Correspondence:
The Politicians, both democrats and
repu plicans, are at their wits end to find
out what if any, part the Farmers
Alliance proposes to take in the Ohio
champaign this year, and ruses of all
sorts have been unsuccessfully adopted
to find leak at the National head
quarters of the Alliance here. To the
credit of the men at the aforesaid head
quarters there is no leak and everybody
outside the organization is in the dark as
to the intentions of the Alliance 1t is
perfectly clear from the action of Ohio
politicians, a number Of whom have been
in Washington during the last few days,
that they fear the Alliance, indeed many
of them frankly say it is impossible to
predict the result without knowing
whether the Alliance proposes to cast it's
vote solidly, and nearly all of them admit
that the Alliance is strong enough if it
chooses to do SO to decide whether the
next governor of Ohio shall be re-
publican or democrat. OF course, if it
runs separate state ticket nothing can
be predicted, because it is not known
from which party it would draw the
most..votes. cThe Alliance leaders seem to
fully appreciate the::adage that "Silenece
is golden and although themselves
strong advocates of silver they are will
ing, in this case, to stick to gold for the
present. 4......-.. p.
Mr.. Harrison's worst enemies must
concede that he made an excellent ap-
pointment when he selected Hon. w. E.
Simonds, of Connecticut, to be Com
missioner of Patents in place Of G. E.
Mitchell, resigned. Mr.. Simonds is the
author Of several works on patent law and
practice that are regarded as authority
by the profession; he has for seven years
been lecturer on patent law to the Yale
law school; he served on the Patent COM
mittee Of the last House of Represent
atives, and for many years he has been
the senior member Of firm practici'ng
before the Patent Office With this ex-
perience it will be.strange if Mr.. Simonds
does not make efficient head for the
Patent Office.
Washington is going to enter the field
for the great National conventions of
next year. Heretofore she has been
handicapped by not having hall large
enough to accommodate the crowd, but
she will havea hall ready that will seat
1000 people within three months.
The old project to transferring the
Pension Office from the Interior to the
War department has been reviewed, and
from present indications it will be vigor-
ously pushed in the next Congress. Sec
retary Noble and Commissioner Raum
are understood to be opposed to it,
though one would naturally suppose, in
view of the trouble he has had with it,
that Secretary Noble would be only to
glad to get rid of it, politicians never will
ingly relinquish patronage of any kind,
and there's lot of very fat patronage
under the Pension Office.
The Post Office Department is now
being completely reorganized, and in the
new assignment of duties it is expected
that maj Rathbone, who has just been
promoted from Chief Inspector to Fourth
Assistant Postmastcr-General newly
created office, will be given control of the
fourth-class post offices, which will
give him the popular title of "official
headsman" which has heretofore belong
ed to the First Assistant exclusively.
Having given Mr.. Harrison credit for
one good appointment, it becomes a duty
to call attention to an action of his for
which he deserves no credit. There
were five cadets at large to West Point to
be appointed for the term beginning in
June next year, and Mr.. Harrison added
his mite towards the building up of
military family and one from a naval
family, and yet it is the civiliens who