Nevada County picayune., 1891-02-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent. !
WASHINGTON, FEB. 10, 1879 |

WASHINGTON, FEB. 10, 1891.
Senator Plumb does not agree with
the majority OF his party upon tinan-
cial matters, nor upon the tariff, but
when it comes to question OF Gov
eminent pap, which is the keystone
to the latter day Republican arch, he
is Republican to the backbone. lie
has just given ample evidence of this
by fathering the boldest attempt yet
openly made for overriding the sane
timoneous fraud known as the civil
service law. He has introduced
Joint resolution providing that stem
ographers, clerks, chiefs of divisions,
copyists, and computers in the Cen
sus office, shall be eligible for trans
fer to the classified service in any OF
the Government departments. That
means that a couple Of thousand Re-
publicans are, as they are dropped
from the rolls Of the census bureau,
which will be gradually reduced
from this time on, to be put into the
regular departmental! service without
going through civil service exami-
nation; it also means that all OF the
Democrats now in the classified ser
vice are to be discharged to make
room for those whose Republicanism
Mr.. Porter, OF the Census bureau,
has vouched for under oath. Every
one knows that the civil service law
is colossal humbug, and there
would be no grief If it was repealed
Tomorrow, but there is no excuse for
such schemes to trample under foot
a law of the land, as this one is.
Mr.. Blaine has scored another
knock down on Mckinley, Reed and
Company by concluding the negotia-
ton of a reciprocity treaty with Ven
ezuela. True the trade of Venezuela
isn't very great, but it will serve to
bring out the iniquities of the Nc
Kinley tariff law, and for that reason,
if for no other, 1t is desirable.
Mr.. Cleveland's letter in opposi
ton to free coinage, published here
this week, shows that his backbone
is as strong as when he wrote the ia
nous tariff message upon which the
campaign of 'S8 was fought. Manli-
ness always commands admiration,
whether one agrees with the posses
sor or not.
1t is stated that the House coinage
committee will next week report the
free coinage bill, with recOmenda-
ton from the majority of the comit-
tee against any silver legislation.
This recommendation, if made, will
be bit of sharp parliamentary prac-
tice, as it will prevent the bill being
placed on the calendar, and make it
necessary to obtain the consent Of
majority Of that committee before it
can be called up. In fact, it will be
equivalent to smothering the bill in
committee, which was the first pro-
gram of the Republicans.
Secretary Tracy received sharp
dressing down from members OF his
own party in the House this week for
the manner in which he reprimanded
Commander Reiter for his conduct
in connection with the killing Of Gen.
Barrundia
The Sioux Indians, having testified
to their objection to being placed
under the care Of the War depart
ment, which was the principal rea-
son for bringing them here, have
heen loaded down with presents and
sent home, via Philadelphia and Car
isle.
The wrong methods in the conduct
Of the Pension office are constantly
being tacitly acknowledged by the
authorities, by making changes in
those methods. If it had not been
for such papers as the New York
Herald these changes would never
have been made. 1t is the fearless
press of the country that always
looks ont for the real interests Of the
people.
After the practical killing of the
eight hour bill and the copyright bill
in the Senate early this week, that
body and the House have devoted
most of the time to the regular APP
preparation bills. The night sessions
of the Senate, as was expected, are
fzzle. There hasn't yet been a
quorum at one Of them.
The radical Republicans are brew
ing some deviltry in connection with
the Force bill, but the Democrats
are wide awake.