The Princeton union., 1891-03-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Hall and Castle the Bright
Ones-Kittel HalvOrsen Re-
garded as NOnentity-
Blaine Will Make no Ef-
! fort for the Presidency.
Union Special Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Feb. %, 1891.
The men who will represent
| Minnesota in the next congress have
been spending the closing days of
lthe session in Washington getting
acquainted with the people with
whom they will serve, and learning
a little about the routine of public
business, which is necessary for a
congressman to acquire before he
is anywhere near able to comply
with the wishes of his constituents.
Three of these members are Demo
Gratis, and the other is Farmers
Alliance man, while one succeeds
himself, and is the only Republi-
can member from the State. The
three Democrats are all bright,
sharp and shrewd men, who have
made regulations of more or less
prominence in the State which
they will represent. The Farmers
Alliance man is comparatively un-
known, but probably as widely
known as he will be when the
Fifty-second congress closes. The
strong men of the Minnesota dele
cation will be Lind, Hall, of the
Third district, and Castle, of the
Fourth, while Captain Haries, who
is very good man, will take as
prominent a part in public affairs as
any one of the other three.
The delegation in the next
house will have a great deal to con-
tend with if they come anywhere
near doing as much for the State
they represent as the present dele
cation. For a delegation of five
members, Minnesota, as it stands
in the congress just closing, is un-
equaled by any other State Of sim
| liar size. More has been accom-
plished by them than at any. pre-
vious congress in years gone by,
and the Farmers Alliance craze
that swept them out of existence,
| while making capital for the AL
Ihnce, has destroyed. the, usefulness
and influence of the State in the
national congress.
The supplanting Of Comstock by
such man as Kittel Halvorsen
was one of the strangest things OF
the political turnover in the State.
Why such a man should be Sc
lected in the place of a man who
had done so much for his district
is one of the things that cannot be
comprehended by people here in
Washington who have observed
the good work Comstock has done.
It appears to have been the fort
une Of politics that one Of the
ablest men in the delegation is tc
be succeeded by one who will cut
the least figure, either as a repre-
sentative from the State, or who
will even be prominent in his OWL
party.
There is a great deal of trouble
still brewing over the settlement o1
the Mile Lacs claims, and it is
possible that there will be endless
litigation before the settlers secure
their rights. The railroad com
panies are making every effort tc
get hold of the lands, and, as it is
probable that there will be a fight
between two powerful companies.
perhaps the honest settlers may Sc.
cure their rights. Every thing
that can be done is being done tc
effect just and equitable settle
ment of this controversy.
The friends of Secretary Blaine
have become discouraged over his
apparent carelessness about the
nomination for the presidency
and some of his warmest support.
ers are now Of the opinion that he
will make no effort to be presi
dent, and that he will allow the
nomination to 60 to Harrison with
out struggle so far as he IS con
cerned. Of course there are
others who will contest the nomin
alton with Harrison and will make
the fight quite interesting and bit
ter, but unless Blaine is in the
field it is not likely that Harrison
can be defeated. " .a
Senator Davis evidently made {
ten-strike for himself when he
! went to the bottom of the Nicara
qua canal scheme, and exposed the
fallacy Of trying to build such {
great work upon volcanic foun
dation. An attempt was made te
1al1r hio, ont of oo,1rt h,,t If ic a1