The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-05-13
Washington Letter.

WASHINGTON, d. C. May Z, 1892.
Mr., Harrison would be perfectly happy
if he knew that the bluff sent out
bv his friends this week about the GER
tainty of his being nominated on the
first ballot at MINNEAPOLIS was based upon
ANYTHING more substantial than win I.
| have 1t on good authority that it has
been extremely difficult for the men
who are managing the Harrison cam
paign to keep him from making public
a statement that he viii not accept a re-
nomination. so dishcartened has he be
come over his prospects. But his train
ers. to use sporting slang, have deter
mined that he shall not withdraw, and
in order To bolster up his failing courage
they got up that table showing that he
will be nominated on the tirst ballot.
The anti-Harrison Republicans, in and
out of Congress, realizing that the Min
neapoliS convention is only a month off,
are getting more active than ever. Secret
conferences are of nightly occurrence
here, and they are confident of defeat
ing Mr.. Harrison. Their present policy
Is 10 encourage the friends of every pos
sible candidate, trusting 10 being able at
the last minute To solidifiy all OF this
scattering vote for their candidate, who
ever he may be.
Speaker Crisp wishes his friends and
admirers to know that he fully appre-
ciates the honor conferred upon HIM 10y
the invitations he Il constantly receiving
to visit different places, but rs he regards
IL of the highest importance that he
should be in his place in the House
until the day Of adjournment, he Is
compelled to decline all invitations. 1t
would be n pleasure to him to accept
them all, but he places duty far above
pleasure.
Secretary Foster, in answer to a House
resolution, has admitted that warrants
and requisitions upon the treasury
| amounting To 50, 655, ,S6G were presented
during February and ''held up until
| March. He pleads in eXtenuation press
of other business" This charge which
was made by Democratic members of
the House and 10y Others has been per
sistenty denied by Republicans in and
out of the Treasury department. The
| Secretary's statement shows how much
dependence can be placed upon Repubh-
can denials.
The Attorney Generals office has
virtually been forced by the attitude OF
Democratic members of the House to
order the u. ). district attorney At Phila-
deiphia to begin an action against the
| notorious sugar trust. This was not
done until the House Judiciary commit
tee had decided to report favOrably Rep
| reSentative ScOtt's resolution, calling
upon the Attorney General for infOrma-
ton as to whether the sugar trust had
violated the Sherman anti-t trust law, and
whether any prosecution had been in
| stituted against it, which was promptly
adopted by the House.
Commissioner Raum is truly unfor-
tunate in having his verac'ty constantly
doubted. This week Capt. Charles \.
| De Arnaud testified before the House in
vcstigatiOn committee that Rdum Swore
! to a falsehOOd concerning his application
| for pension which Raum had rejected
for spite. Representative Enloe Is GER
tainly not alone in his opinion OF the
| truthfulness of Raum, although no one
else has been quite as unparliamentary
in their language.
The best that the House could get out
of the Senate on the Chinese question
was amendments to the oil law prOvid
lag for one years Imprisonment of every
ChInaman detected violating the law;
the registration of Chinese now in this
country and denying them the right to
bail pending the decision of cases under
writs Of habeas corpus; and they had to
| fight hard TO get that much, as the Re
| pubhcans wished to restrict the legiSla-
| ton TO a renewal of the old law which
| had proved It's wOrthlessness in many
| respects. The amendments will remedy
| the worst defects of the old law, and if
| the administration chooses 1t can now
| stop Chinese immigration, either through
| Canada or any other source.
Few people who have followed the
| evidence taken by the House committee
engaged in investigating the pension
| bureau have any doubt as to what the
! verdict will be. Guilty as charged, Will
/ certainly be the report OF the committee
which VIII undoubtedly recommend the
| dismissal of Commissioner Raum for
mismanagementa and general inefficien-
| cy. 1t is doubtful, however, whether
! Mr.. Harrison will have backbone enough
! to dismiss Raum on the eve Of the na-
| tiOnal campaign. Secretary Noble may
| find himself in danger of Impeachment
| if he persists in his refusal to allow the
committee to examine the papers relat-
ing to the dismissal of certain special
| pension examiners.
| The House Commerce committe pro-
pose to look into the Reading coal trust,
with a view of recommending Congres-
sional action. The Democrats in the
House are not afraid of trusts, if mem
ber of the cabinet is one of the big stock
holders in it.
The House will probably pass the River
and Harbor bill, which is now consider
ing, this week.