Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-09-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent


WAsHINGroN, Sept. 4. 1891.
Secretary Foster reports our financial
condition to be excellent and improving
| every day. He anticipates not the slight
est difficulty in taking up such of the AZ
per cent bonds as shall not be presented
for extension at per cent. He does not
think the amount to be redeemed will much
exceed S20, 900 900, and he has an availa-
BILE balance OF SIO6, 900, 900. exclusive of
the Sl0O,OO0,00O in the much written
about gold reserve fund. These bonds
like all issued by our government. are made
pays able in gold should the holder desire it,
and as the treasury has in it's vaults more
than S29 .OOO. 900 in gold coin. in addition
to the gold reserve" there will be no diff
Guilty in accommodating the owners OF the
bonds presented for redemption even
should they all desire to be paid in gold.
This state of affairs is very gratifying to
every body. but the Democratic Gala nifty
walters who have for months been saying
that the United States treasury would be
bankrupt and that when the time came to
take up these bonds it would be compelled
to default in the payment OF them. OF
course those OF them who know any thing
knew better all the time, but having been
80 successful last fall in their campaign OF
Misrepresentation, they have for lack of
any other principle adopted that method
of fighting the Republican party.
The news OF the governor OF Vermont
having formally notified Secretary Proctor
of his intention to appoint him to serve
out the unexpired term Of Senator Ed
munds, when his resignation takes effect
November 1. created no surprise here, as it
was only carrying out what everybody had
accepted several months ago as certain to
occur. Secretary Proctor has ably admin
istered the affairs OF the war department.
and while everyone reioices that he is to
occupy a place that is more congenial to
him there is great deal more regret than
usually follows the retirement of a member
of the cabinet that he is to lay down the
war portfolio. Speculation is rife as to
who will succeed Secretary Proctor in the
cabinet, and many names are being men,
toned, among them those of Ex-Gov. Che
ney, OF New Hampshire; Senator Farwell,
and ex-Representative Cannon, OF Illinois;
ex-senator Spooner, of Wisconsin; ex-Sen-
ator Malone, of Virginia; Hon. r. T. Lin
coin, L. S. Minister to England; ex-Repre-
sentative McComas, of Maryland; Gen.
Alger, of Michigan; and ex-senator Ingalls,,
OF Kansas. The president is away, and
there is nothing to base any reliable pre-
diction upon to be obtained here. SO that
everybody may guess to their hearts con-
tent, and talk up their favorite. There is
reason to believe that the president has
already picked out the man and obtained
his acceptance of the place, but it isn't
probable that his name will be officially
announced until Secretary Proctor's resig-
nation has been formally accepted, and no
one here seems to know Just when that
will be.
1t raised a broad smile in Washington
when Representative Crisp said that the
contest for the speakership was a friendly
one. Mr.. Crisp may be friendly in his feel
ing towards his opponents, but they, or
rather their representatives, are certainly
not friendly towards him, when they are
running around abusing him and trying to
create the create the impression that he is
the friend of all the Democratic lobbyists.
and that he will he under their control If
elected. This is particularly true Of those
who are working for Mr.. Mills; they are
doing every thing except charging personal
crookedness to bring discredit upon Mr..
Crisp, and they are doing that by inference
by saying that he has promised more COM
mittes chairmanships than exist, for the
purpose OF obtaining pledges Of support.
II this is friendly contest, pray, what
would Mr. Crisp call unfriendly contestP