Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-10-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent


WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 1891.
The president has, it is understood here
decided that NJ. NJ. Estee, Of California,
shall enter his cabinet when the reorgaui-
zation made necessary by the retirement
OF Secretary Proctor and the expected re-
tirement Of Attorney General Miller takes
place. 1t is as yet uncertain whether Mr..
Estee will become attorney general or sec-
retary OF the interior, as Secretary Noble
will probably be given the privilege OF ex-
changing his present portfolio for that of
attorney general If he wishes to do so, and
it is believed that he does. Mr.. Estee
would probably have gone into the cabinet
when it was organized, but he declined
serving in any place except that Of attor-
ney general or secretary OF the interior,
and both of these places had been rendered
to and accepted by the present incumbents
before the president was made acquainted
with Mr.. Estee's wishes.
Secretary Foster will soon go to Ohio
for the purpose of taking the stump for Nc
kinley. His speeches will in the main be
upon financial topics. although he will not
slight state affairs. upon which few men in
Ohio are SO well posted. The secretary
takes special pleasure in recalling the dole
ful predictions which the Democrats have
made of the coming crash in the treasury
ever since he became it's head, and OF the
ease with which the treasury has passed
every expected crisis, not only without de-
fault or deficit. but with cash to spare. All
these things he will tell the Ohio voters in
his own inimitable way. He will also show
them with indIsputable figures that the
present Democratic predictions of future
bankruptcy are wild and baseless as
were all OF those which have gone before.
Postmaster General Wanamaker, ever
alive to increasing the efficiency of the
postal service, had the division superin-
tendents of the railway mail service of the
entire country here the past week, in order
that they might confer and give each other
the benefit of their individual experience in
improving the service. The improvement
of the mail service has been continuous
from the time it came back into the hands
of the Republicans. somewhat crippled on
account of the ineiiciency OF a large num-
ber of the employees appointed by the
Cleveland administration, but the improve
ment during the fiscal year ending June 80
last, as shown by the official reports, was
something marvellous, and reflects great
credit upon everybody connected with the
service in any capacity. The railway mail
clerks distributed $500, 900, 900 pieces of
mail matter, which was $50, 900, 900 more
pieces than were distributed the previous
year, and only one error to each 4.193
pieces handled was made, against one error
for each 2,799 pieces the previous year,
and the number OF complaints have been
fewer than ever before, while the compli-
mentary letters from business houses have
never been SO numerous. The superintend-
ents say that the present fiscal year will
show a marked Improvement upon the
last, good as that was.
The president is almost ready to an
nounce a number of important appoint
ments, and it will not be surprising if some
| OF them are made before this letter is put
| in type.
Republicans who have allowed themselves
to be led astray by the idea that Southern
Democrats who have joined the Farmers
Alliance would combine with them in form
ing national third party. the principal
object of which would be to right the real
and fancied wrongs of the agricultural and
laboring classes, may find food for thought
in the following positive language used by
Senator Ransom of North Carolina, "A state
in which Col. Polk, president of the ma tional
Farmers Alliance, says the Alliance is
ready to go into the third party move.
ment. Senator Ransom says: "There il
no third party in North Carolina, and
there will not be. The Alliance. with the
exception Of a few demagogues intent only
upon improving their own personal for
tunes, is solidly Democratic, and will re
main So"