San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-04-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WAsHINGTON. April 3, 1898.


to prevent the investigation of
the charge of crimiuaD en-
beZZlement made against Senator
Roach, of North Dakota. directed
by Senator Hoar's resolution. They
first tried bluff by stating that
other senators were in the same
boat with Roach, and intimating
that Power, of Montana,was one of
them. That didn't work, not even
a little bit, for Senator Power
promptly denounced as false and
demanded the most searching in
vestigatiOn, two things which
Roach has not done. The Demo-
cratic senators have good reason
to fear any thing thae promises to
expose the true inWardneSS of the
election of Roach to the SEN
ate which was brought about
by special and explicit directions
from Senator German, who was
chairman of the Democratic Sena-
torial "Steering" committee. There
is good reason for the belief that
the actual facts in the deal by
which Roach became Senator
would, if made public, cause a ma
tiOnal scandal with more or less
disgraceful ramiticatiOns in a num-
Der of States. The Democratic Sen
ators are now making personal APP
pealS to the most eaSy-gClng
Republican Senators, to let the
whole matter drop, because what
ever the result of the investigation
so far as Roach is concerned it will
bring a scandal upon the good
name of the Senate that will cling
to it at home and abroad for
many years. | have no authority
to speak for Republican senators,
but | violate no confidence. stat
ing that number of them have
made up their minds that some
thing has got to be done, and if
Roach doesn't resign before the
Senate gets through with the cases
of the appointed senators, now I'M
der consideration, they propose to
have some action taken upon Sen
atOr HOar'S resolution, or to let the
country know why. 1t has just
been learned that the new program
of the Democratic senators is to
force an immediate adjournment
of the Senate as soon as
the cases of the appoint
ed senators are disposed of. They
are perfectly willing to postpone
the election of the Senate officers
until the meeting of the extra ScS-
sion, which Mr.. Cleveland has de-
cided to call in September. The eX-
cuse given is that it will be i'm
possible to keep a quorum OF
senators here after these cases are
voted upon. 1t has been suggested
that if the Senate fails to act Mr..
Roach may be arrested and tried in
the criminal court for embeZZling
the funds of the bank, of which he
was cashier, but such proceeding
is not probable.
The break between Mr.. CleVe-
land and eX-Tpeaker Crisp, which
last week looked as though it
would result in bringing forward
a new candidate for the speaker
ship of the House, in opposition to
Crisp, and backed by all the in
fluence of the administrations has
been, it is now understood, patched
up by the administration of an eX-
ira heavy dose of humble pie to
Crisp. 1t was not, however, forced
upon him, but he went to the
White House and asked for
it. Under this agreement,
which is much more humb-
ling to Mr.. Crisp than the one
made in New York just before the
meeting of the last session of Con-
gress, the Georgian is to be elected
Speaker of the House again, and to
draw the salary and perform the
routine duties of the position, but
the real authority is to be exercised
by Mr.. Cleveland, who has already
determined that Mr.. Springer,
chairman of the Ways and Means
committee, and Mr. Holman, chair
man of the Appropriation commit
tee, shall not again be placed at
the heads of those committees.
The reason why Mr.. Cleveland
has not appointed Commissioner
of Pensions has leaked out. He
has so far failed to find man who
comes up to all of his requirements
and is at the same time willing to
pledge himself to do certain things
which are to be required of the new
commissioner. 1t has been, so
those in confidence say, definitely
decided by Mr.. Cleveland that the
commissioner must be an Eastern
man who does not belong to the
4 n,,l tl,nt h Sh all No II-ill