The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1892-03-11
WASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON, March Z, 1902.

w ioEN, -hotNH 4, iOt<.
Mr.. Harrison is engaged in engineer
ing another gigantic war scare, with the
same old object in view but as Sec
rotary Blaine is having fight with the
grip, the little man in the White House
is trying to run the machine alone. and
there is danger that it may not work
as it did in the Chilian business i,
certainly will no: if similar ultimatum
buncomb is used by Mr.. Harrison.
Details are scarce as to why the country
is in the great danger of war with
Great Britain that the administration
people say it is. All that is known is
that Lord Salisbury has notified the
Department Of State that he ap-
proved Of the arbitrason treaty that
was signed by Mr. Blaine and Sir Juli-
an Pauncefote last Monday, but that
he declined to renew the modus viv
endi for the coming sealing season in
Behring's sea, and suggested in lieu
thereof close season within thirty
miles of the Pribylov Islands.
There's no booming of cannon or
sounding OF the charge in that, SO far
rs ordinary folk can see or hear, but it
was enough to bring Mr.. Harrison
tearing home from his hunting trip
and to cause him to call his cabinet
hurriedly together for night meeting,
which was of itself enough to start the
most sensational stories agoing over the
newspaper special wires, and the mys-
'erious hints dropped by those close to
Nr. Harrison, Of impending danger to
he American Eagle, did the rest in a
>anner that was probably highly pleas
ag to that gentlemen but now that
ne has his war scare fairly on its feet,
what will he do with it
Do Treasury officials make practice
of Withholding payment of contracts
and other public expenditures between
the middl. and the last of the month,
IN order to make a better showing than
actually exists, in the monthly state
ment issued at the close of business on
the last day of the month? Evidently
Representative Butler, of Iowa, believes
there is som ,thing in the charge that
they do, for he has offered resolution
calling upon the Secretary of the Treas
ury between Feb IS and 80, and of
payments made on the same prior to
March 1.
The legalizing of his counted quor-
um' by the Supreme Court so puffed
up the ex-Czar with impudence and
conceit that even the patience of so
even a tempered a man as Speaker
Crisp was at last completely exhausted
and the man from Maine found him.
self being artistically fayed by the
Speaker, to whom he had been trying
to dictate. And the general verd ct,
joined in by many republicans, is that
it served him right"
The anti-Harrlson republicans are
Somewhat at sea as to who to take up
for candidate, and the names that
are constantly being put forward in
that connection are but feelers of the
public pulse. The latest feeler is IN
favor of ]. S. Clarkson, chairman of
the republican national committee, the
man who was backed by Quay and the
entire national committee for a place
in Mr.. Harrison's cabinet. and yet was
most peremptorlY turned down. There
is little doubt that Mr.. Clarkson would
take great pleasure in taking the nom
ination away from Mr.. Harrison, if he
could; but Mr.. Clarkson's mental
caliber is hardly large enough to make
HIM Presidential nominee, even of
the republican party.
The House Committee on Appro-
priations may decide to abolish two
entire divisions of the Treasury depart
ment, chose on Public Moneys and
Loans and Currency, because the
work done by them is but duplica
ton of what is done by two divisions
of the Treasurer's office. All that is
necessary to abolish them is to leave
them out Of the annual appropriation
bill upon which the committee is now
at work.
Although the Pension Office investi
CATION has but just begun to get into
the interesting stage. it has
already been shown pretty conclusively
that things are not conducted as they
should be. II should be acknowledg
ed by official witnesses that men re-
commended for dismissal, for cause.