San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-05-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WAStTr>yc.ro>y Nav 1901

in a handsome building to be erected
and owned by the National League
is q very popular one with repub
licans here. The plan as given out
by a member of the National COM
mittee, is to get one thousand men TO
subscribe $500 each for the purpose of
purchasing a site and erecting
a building which shall be equal to,
if not superior to the celebrated
Union League club house in New
York city, and which shall be the
National headquarters of the republi
can party. The idea is said to have
originated with Mr.. J. 5. Clarkson,
the new president of the League, and
John l. Davenport, of New York, and
both gentlemen have expressed the
opinion that the money can easily be
raised and the cornerstone of the
new building laid before the opening
of the Presidential campaign next
wear. AS MessTs. Clarkson and
Davenport are known as hustlers the
new building is regarded as certain
ty here.
The liquor dealers of the country
propose taking hand In the speak
ership fight, and as they furnish no
considerable portion of the men who
control and shape the policy of the
democratic party there is no discount
on their influence in the democratic
caucus of the house Representatives.
As told to me by q democrat who
knows as much about the inside
workings of the machine, Of his party
as any member of it, theprogrammeo of
the liquor dealers dQss not at this time
include the supporting of any one of
the candidates ,salthough he thinks it
will hefofe long. Their present object
isfo Knock out Representative Crisp,
Georgia, one of the most prominent
candidates, who is particularly OBJ
noXious to them because of his being
a prohi bitionist. A fine picture that,
to the reputable citizens of the
country, to have the rum sellers die
tating 10 great political party as to
who shall not be elected speaker of
the house.
Three candidates for the Speaker
ship-Messrs, McMillin, ofTennessee,
Bynum, of Indiana and Springer, of
Illinois-are atpresent in Washing
ton, and each of them processes to be-
lieve that his chances of election are
good. To disinterested observers
neither of them has more than one
chance in q hundred to win, their
present tactics being generally re-
garded as only maneuvers to secure
good committee positions.
Mr.. Blaine must greatly enjoy the
discontinue of his democratic tradu-
GERS of late. They predicted all sorts
of misfortunes as certain to follow his
conduct of his italian negotiations,
and they have been compelled to
acknowledge that his management of
the case has been mastery and that
he has greatly enhanced the standing
of the United states among foreign
nations; they predicted that failure
was certain to follow Mr., Blaines ef-
fort to negotiate trade reciprocity
agreement.with Spain to include Gu
ba and Porto kico, and now to their
chagrin Mr.. Blaine has in his possess
sion a copy of that agreement, which
only needs the proclamation of the
president to become the law of the
land. This should have been sufficient
to have stopped the grinding of the
democratic prediction machine, but it
wasn't. Now they are telling the
country what direful results are
to follow Mr.. Blaine's action,
or lack of action in the Behring Sea
matter; but they are not stampeding
our able secretary of state any more
than the buster of the italian gov
eminent did. Mr.. Blaine knows ex-
actly what he is doing, as we'll as
what he wants to do, and when it is
done the great nOn-partisan public
will approve, as it has his every act
since his acceptance of the state port
folio. If our democratic friends are
smart they will take long rest on
the Blaine predictions.
Secretary Fosters free discussion of
our finances is commended on all
sides, although the democrats are still
industriously trying to make it ap-
pear that the United States treasury
Is bankrupt or soon will be. Such
talk Is rot, pure and simple. There
is no deficit in the treasury, nor will
there be so long as it remains in re-
publican hands.
Ex-senator Blair is in town, but he
will not talk for publication about
the Chinese government declining to
receive him as q minister. 1t is be
lieved that this rather queer action OF
the Chinese government is the result
of intrigues by Americans who have
schemes to work in China, and who
knew that Mr.. Blair's sterling homes
ty and uprightness would make il
impossible for them to expect any
assistance from him. 1t IS thought
that Mr.. Blair will be rendered an
other diplomatic appointment as soor
as the president returns.
General Nettleton, assistant secre
tary of the treasury, has been study
ing the operation of the new Immi
grafton law in New York, and the re-
suit will be embodied in circular
which the treasury department will