Nevada County picayune., 1891-07-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our special correspondent.

WASHINGTON, D. C., July 10, '91.
 The administrator is in pack of trouble, and telegrams have been flying thick and fast to and from the Presidential cottage at Cape May Point and Washington, but for the very good reason had MT. Blaine's advice been taken the ad- ministration would not have been in it's very unpleasant predicament, no telegrams having been sent to Bar Harbor. The cause of all this is the Chilian insurgent steamer ltata, which it has cost to bring into harbor at San Diego, California, more than S1OO, ,OO0. It is now feared by At torney General Miller and Secretary Tracy, upon whose opinions as law yers, MT. Harrison was persuaded to sanction the orders which sent the Charleston in pursuit of the ltata, in spite of Mir. Baine's opinion, that this Government had no legal right to take possession of the steamer af- ter she had gone outside of three mile limit, that mistake has been made.
 This incident has again strongly y shown that MT. Blaine is the brains of the administration. Everything that he has opposed has turned out disastrously for his party. He was opposed to the outrageous usurpa- ton of power by Speaker Reed; the force bill, and the Mckinley bill, which by superhuman efforts he sue ceeded in having modified by tack ing on as an amendment the good old Democratic doctrine of trade re- ciprocity, although it was so restrict ed in the bill as enacted into a law that but little benefit, further than showing the benefits which would naturally follow general extension of our trade with foreign countries, tue trade of which is really worth having, and the wisdom of that op- position was unmistaksbly demon strated by the cyclone of last Nov.
 Secretary Foster has announced his intention of calling in the Gov ernment deposits in national banks, except about S1j 1000, ,00O, which is, of course, to be left where it will be of the most benefit to the Republi- can party Nothing that he can do will, however, be surprising after his audacity in putting the sl00, ,0oO, ,00O of the gold reserve redemption fund and the fractional silver on hand which is by law only legal tender in sums of ten dollars and under, on the Treasury statement as available cash to meet the current demands on the Treasury.
 There is a law on the Statute books of the United States which pro- vides a heavy penalty for any person or persons in the employ of the Gov ernment who gives, or subscribes money to purchase anything to be given to any other employe of the Government but, like many other good and sensible laws, it is con stantly violated and nobody ever suffers for it. The latest violation of thls law was the presentation to Mai. Rathbone, who has just been promoted from Chief Inspector of the Post office department to be Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, an office, by the way, created solely for political purposes by the billion-dol- lar Congress, by the Postoiiice h. spectors, who had been his subordi- mates of $550 gold watch and chain. It is claimed by the Inspectors that Maj. Rathbone's resignation as Chief Inspector, was accepted to take effect on the first of July, and that at the time of the presentation he had not been sworn m as fourth Assistant Postmaster General, and that the presentation was no viola tion of the law. These postoilice in- spcctors are adopts in quibbling, but it's dollars to burnt matches that when Maj. Rathbene draws hls first month salary the DOCKS or the ulS- bursting officer will show that his pay in his new office began on the first of July; and if it did, somebody ought to take the trouble to see that the men who made the presentation are duly prosecuted but what's ev- erybody's business is nobody's bus mess, and it ism at all probable that anything will be done.
 The fact that Mir. Wanamaker pro poses making a big cut in the amount allowed the southern railroads for the fast mail service between New York and Tampa Fla, which was originally under the Cleveland admin istratiOn, is exciting a good deal of unfavorable comment,