Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1891-12-18
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER,
From our Regular Correspondent
WASuINCT0N Dec A 1901

/ ASHlNGION, Dec. 4, 1871.
The very spirited contest for the
Speakership of the House of Repre-
sentatives will close with the selection
OF one of the candidates by the Demo.
cratic caucus which will be held to-
morrow, but it will be years before it is
forgotten. There have been many
things to cause it to be remembered,
not the least of which is the large
number OF candidates that will remain
in the field up to the last-this is of
itself highly creditable to the Demo-
cratic party as an organization, as it
shows that it is party that does not
tolerate bossism, but gives every man
in its ranks an equal right to aspire to
any honor within its gift. Another
thing about it that will not soon be
forgotten is the action of the Republi-
cans in trying by representing inno-
cent remarks made by Democrats, and
in many instances by the outright
manufacturers of statements to create
a feeling of antagonism between the
friends of the several candidates.
they succeeded but too we'll, in some
instances.
Whoever is selected for Speaker, the
attempt will be made in certain quar-
ters to make it appear that the selec-
ton makes certain the nomination for
President next year of some one OF the
gentlemen who have been prominent
ly named for that honor. That is
another Republican scheme. There
is not the slightest thing to base such
a conclusion upon, no matter which of
the candidates for Speaker may win.
There are, to your correspondents cer-
tain knowledge, men in the ranks of
the supporters of each of the candi-
dates who favor Mr.. Cleveland, Cover
nor Hill, Governor Gray, Senator
German and Governor Boies, so you
see what nonsense it is to say that the
success Of any one of the candidates
for Speaker will have any direct effect
upon the nomination for President
next year. Just as members of Con-
gress have differed in their opinions OF
the best man for Speaker, so will they
differ when it comes to selecting a
candidate for President. The National
Democratic Convention, and not the
House of Representatives, will name
the Presidential nominee of the party,
Republican busy bodies to the con-
trary notwithstanding.
Representative Cooper, OF Indiana,
who originated the Raum investiga-
tion in the last Congress, says that if
Mr.. Harrison persists in keeping
Raum at the head of the Pension Of.
flee he will move for another investi-
CATION. Mr.. Cooper has secured a
large addition to the stock OF ammuni-
ton which the packed committee of
the last Congress refused to allow him
to use, and if Raum does not vacate
the Pension Office he will see to it
that the next investigation does not
end with coat OF whitewash.
1t is stated here, but denied, that
Secretary Fosters health is in a pre-
carious condition. While denying
that he is seriously sick, his friends
admit that he is going South for sew
eral weeks rest before he again takes
up his work as Secretary of the Tres
ury.
Mr.. Harrison's friends in the Re-
publican party have been anxiously
expecting this week that often an
nounced statement from Mr.. Blaine
that he would not be the candidate
of his party, it having been stated
here the other day by ex-senator
Saunders, of Nebraska, whose daugh-
ter is Russell Harrison's wife, that
Mr.. Blaine would shortly take the
public into his confidence; but alas,
for the Harrison crowd, it seems to be
only another false alarm, as Mr..
Blaine says not a word, but continues
to smile when visiting Republicans
tell him that they propose nominat-
ing him next year.
Attorney General Miller is not an
admirer of the newspapers, probably
because they have refused to class
him as high as his own conceit tells
him he should 60; therefore it caused
no surprise when he tried to cast a
slur upon the press, while the argu-
ment in the cases against the consti-
stitutionality of the Mckinley tariff
law was proceeding before the Su
preme court. 1t came about this way.
Mr.. Stephen G. Clark, of New York,
while arguing that the omission of the
tobacco rebate clause in the bill as
signed by the President invalidated
the whole bill, produced book kept
in the Clerks Office showing the record
OF bills passed by the House, to show
that the clause was omitted. In re-
ply to the Attorney Generals ques-
ton, Mr.. Clark said he was not adj
vised as to whether there was any law
for the keeping of the book. "If
there is no such law" said the attor-
ney General with a sneer, "the book
has no more weight than a newspaper
publication"
Commissioner Roosevelt is back.
He declines to discuss the story that
Mr.. Wanamaker is after his scalp.
further than to say that he stands by
everything he has ever said, which is
equivalent to repeating his charge
against the truthfulness of Mr.. w.
Dem.
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