Smyrna times., 1891-03-25
Washington Letter.

MS right to appoint during the recess
of Congress the nine Judges of the
United States Circuit Court, notwith-
standing his Attorney General has rem
dered an elaborate opinion that he has
that right and that a similar opinion
was given Mr.. Cleveland when he was
President by Solicitor General jerks,
who stood and stands high as a lawyer.
1t is centended by others, among them
many eminent lawyers, that the Presi-
dent cannot appoint these judges dur
ing the Congressional recess, as he
only has the power to fill vacancies;
and these petitions, it is maintained
are not vacancies; therefore to fill them
would be making original appoint
ments, which should only be made
with the advice and consent of the Sen
ate. Whichever way the question is
decided by Mr.. Harrison there will be
no extra session of the Senate called,
as some gentlemen have suggested.
Personally I think that Mr.. Harrison
would much prefer deferring these APP
pOintments until december, so that he
might take his time in selecting the
men, but the sentiment among the
leaders of his party is overwhelmingly
in favor of immediate appointments.
Postmaster General Wanamaker is
in need Of the services of a shrewd de-
tective. He is anxious to find the
name and address of the female Gov
ernment clerk, who rumor says has
been boasting of having been a lobby
list during the recent session of Con-
gress, and of having been the principal
instrument used by Jay Gould to chang
up" in the House committee on Post
offices Mr.. Wanamaker's postal-tele-
graph of six to five decided against re-
porting the bill to the House. If Mr..
Wanamaker discovers this mysterious
female there is certain to be one va
cancy in the Government service.
The usual scare, incidental to the
close of the long session of Congress, is
now on in the Government printing
office. Every day big batch of en-
ployees is discharged, and as this thing
will continue for several weeks before
the force is reduced sufficiently, everv
employee in the big printing shop is on
the ragged edge" so to speak, daily
expecting to receive the dreaded vel
low envelope, containing the formal
printed notice, reading: "Your SER
vices will not be required after this
date" and yet men and women will
persist in hankering after Government
work.
The presence of Senator PETER and
the Kansas Farmers Alliance Repre-
sentatives in this city has had a good
effect. The Alliance is no longer looked
upon as an organization to be dreaded
by everybody not farmers, these men
have convinced the people that they do
wish to revOlutionize things, except so
far as it may be necessary 10 right Ger.
tain wrongs under which they suffer.
To put it in Senator Peffer's words :
I'VE are not dangerous in any direc-
ton we do not wish to destroy, but
to build up, to preserve, to foster, and
to protect all mems rights" That
certainly isn't the language of a dan
gerOus man, but rather that of a man
who is asking for himselfand associates
only the same rights that are enjoyed
by others.
1t is becoming apparent that neither
Mr.. Blaine nor any other member of
the cabinet will allow their names to
be used in the Republican National
Convention in antagonism to that of
Mr.. Harrison, who can unless some of
the longest headed politicians are at
fault, if he wishes it land he undoubt-
edly dOesl again become the nominee
of his party.
Mr.. Blaine and Sir Julian Paunce-
fort, the British minister, are daily
clOseted together arranging the de-
tails for the arbitration of the Behring
Sea dispute, which has been agreed to
by the British government. Mr.. Blaine
declines to make public anything
until the preliminaries have been all
settled.
Secretary Foster is expected to return
to Washington this week, and a good
many treasury officials are in a state
of fear and trepidation. OF course he
will make some changes-every new
Secretary dOes-but 1 don't think he
will make the ''clean sweep" that some
over-nervOus people are predicting. 1t
might be good politics" but it would
hardly be what one would expect
from so good business man as Mr..
Foster has proven himself to be.