Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-11-25
* BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT.
Cochran Kicks Against an Income
Tax-Cutting down Expenses.
from our regular correspondent

1
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20. ISo3.--A
more disappointed crowd than the
members of the Administration it
would be hard to find So certain
were they that Saturdays steamer
from Hawaii would bring news of the
restoration of the Queen that every
employe of the State Department was
compelled to take an oath of secrecy
beforehand, in order to prevent any
of the details contained in the dis
patch from Minister Willis getting out
prematurely. 1t was clear, however,
from other dispatches that the infa-
nous programme had miscarried, and |
the belief here is that the monarchy |
will not be restored. and that Mr.. |
Cleveland is at last beginning to real
ize that between the one-sided repre- |
sensations of Minister Paramount |
Blount and Secretary Gresham's ha-
tired of ex-President Harrison, he has |
been hoodwinked into taking course |
that has been more generally anil,
perhaps, more harshly criticised than
any single act of any American Presi-
dent.
The great question with the Admin
istration now is how it can best sneak
out of its unpleasant predicament,
although it is believed that positive
assurances have been given to the
British Ambassador and the Japanese
Minister that the monarcy would be
restored in Hawaii it is not thought
that any attempt will be made to do
it, at least not openly or by force. In
fact friends of the Administration are
now trying to deny what they were a
few days ago positively asserting as
to the nature of the instructions, given
to Minister Willis. Should it end in
Mr.. Cleveland's making Gresham the
scapegoat and throwing him out of the
Cabinet there will be no tears shed by
either Republicans or Democrats, as
Gresham's course in this matter has
caused him to lose the few friends his
political somersault had left him.
Representative Bourke Cochran, the
New York Congressman who has been
sat upon by Tammany because he OBJ
Ijected to being a mere puppet of Crok-
er's, threw a bombshell among his
Democratic colleagues on the House
Ways and Means Committee who had
i'll his absence decided that an income
tax should be attached to the new tar
if bill. when he informed them that
an income tax imposed by Demo-
cratic Administration and Congress
would result in making New York
City, now the Democratic Gibraltar,
Republican stronghold, he also told
them that this proposed tax was an
attempt by certain would be leaders
of the Democratic party to pander to
the Populists and warned them that if
it was carried into effect it would prove
disastrous to the Democratic party.
Mr.. Cockran's remarks created a
momentary stampede among his fel-
low Democrats on the committee, but
will hardly result in getting the in
come tax dropped from the bill.
The Administration having by its
lack of foresight and of firmness, when
firmness would have proven beneficial
brought the cash in the Treasury down
to the lowest point at which it has been
since Buchanan's Administration came
SO near bankrupting the Government
is now very diligently at work stop
ping the leak at the spigot while that
of the bunghole is going right along
all the time. Here are two instances
that will illustrate the attitude of the
spigot style of statesman The Post
master-G General in glancing over the
list of supplies purchased for post
offices discovered an item that deeply
aroused his anger He was thunder
) struct, so to speak, when he saw that
the L. S. Government actually bought
Irvine for the letter carriers to use for
tying up bundles of mail. Let them
buy leather straps and use them, !"
shouted this apostle of spigot econo-
my, as he dictated an order that no
more Irvine was to be bought for their
use. The next great act of spigot
economy also relates to the letter
carriers. A lot of old caSt-off letter
carriers leather bags, which have been
from time to time forwarded to Wash
ington by postmasters who have made
acquisitions for new ones, have been
atconsiderable expense patched up and
as long as the supply holds out they
will be sent to those postmasters who
make acquisitions for new ones. The
letter carriers may feel thankful that
they are not required to buy their own
bags as we'll as straps.
The Democrats acknowledge that
they are afraid to submit their tariff
bill to Democratic caucus. Those in
charge of the bill say that it would.
certainly be cut all to pieces if it went
before caucus, and that they prefer
to rely upon the power of Mr.. Cleve-
land, whose ideas the bill fully repre-
scnts, to force the bill through Con-
gress and silence the Democratic oppo-
sition thereto. Much depends upon
the character of the bill, which will
presumably be made public this week
or next, as to whether it can be forced
through Congress.
Some persons can read and under
stand the signs of the times, others
cannot. The editor of the World APP
pears to belong to the latter class.
When cornered in an argument he
cries out, The people of Berkeley
County are not natural born fools,