West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1891-07-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
special Correspondence Of The Argus.

been lying thick and fast to and
from Washington and the Presiden-
tial cottage at Cape May Point, but
for the very good reason that had
Dir. Blaine's advice been taken the
administration would not have been
III its present very unpleasant pre-
dicament, no kilograms have been
sent to Bar Harbor. The cause Of
all this is the CHILEAN insurgent
steamer Itata, which it has cost to
bring into the harbor at San Diego.
California, more than 100000. 1t
is now feared by Attorney General
Miller and Secretary Tracy, upon
whose opinions as lawyers Mr.. Har-
rison was persuaded to sanction the
orders which sent the Charleston in
pursuit Of the Itata, in spite of Mr..
Blaiue's opinion that this Govern
ment had 10 legal right to take
possession Of the steamer after she
had gone outside of the three mile
limit, that q missile has been made.
II, as is now bclievef -.sss
Court shall decide thai ellie 10. Ut MAJ S.is'
not violated our neutrality laws.
tho CHILEAN insurgents, whose
agents and attorneys, now here,
claim represent the only constitu.
tonal government Of Chill, will de-
mand that the United States pay a
heavy cash indemnity for having
interfered with their success by re-
fusing to allow the Itata to deliver
tho arms which she carried. There
is some ugly talk here about bribery
by the agents of the Balmaceda
government, and maybe before the
thing is finally settled somebody's
reputation will get badly smirched.
This incident has again strongly
shown that Dir. 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
succeeded in having modified bv
lacking on as an amendment the
good old Democratic doctrine of
reciprocity, although it was so re-
stricted in the bill as enacted into
law that but little benefit, further
than showing the benefits which
would naturally follow general
extension of our trade with foreign
countries, the trade of which is
really worth having. and the wis,
dom of that opposition was unmis
takably demonstrated by the cyclone
of last Noyem Der.
Secretary Foster has announced
his intention of calling in the Gov.
ernment deposits in national banks,
except about 1000, 900, when 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 $780,
600, 900 Of the gold reserve redemp-
ton fund aud the fractional silver
on hand, which is by law only a
legal tender in sums of ten dollars
and under, on the Treasury state
mont as available cash to meet the
current demands on. the Treasury.
! There is a law on the Statute
Books Of the United States which
provides heavy penalty for any
person or persons in the employ Of
the Government who gives, or sub
scribes money to purchase anything
to be given to any ether EN-
ploye Of the Government; but,
like many other good and sensibl,
laws, it is constantly violated ant
nobody ever suffers for it. The la
test violation Of this law was tn,
presentation to Maj. Rathbone, VIII,
has just been promoted from Che
Inspector Of the Postofiice Depart
ment to be Fourth Assistant Post
master General, an office, by tn,
way, created solely for political pur
poses by the billion-dollar Congress
by the PostoiIice Inspectors, VIII,
had been bis subordinates. Of F,
$3.50 gold watch and chain. tt
claimed by the inspectors that Mai
Rathbone's resignation as Chief In
spector was accepted to take eGecI
on the Grst Of July, and that at Tn,
time Of the presentation he had mo-
been sworn in as Fourth Assistant
Postmaster General. and that tb,