The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1893-12-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 1898.

would be hard to find. So certain
were they that recent steamer from
Hawaii would bring news of the res
toration of the queen that every em-
ploye of the state department was COM
PEELED to take an oath of secrecy be-
forehand, in order to prevent any Of
the details contained in the dispatch
from Minister Willis getting out pre-
maturely. 1t was clear, however, from
other dispatches that the infamous
programme had miscarried, and the
belief here is that the monarchy will
not be restored, and that Mr.. Cleve-
land is at last beginning to realize that
between the one-sided representations
| of Minister Paramount Blount and Sec
retary Gresham's hatred of ex-Presi-
dent Harrison, he has been hood
winked into taking course that has
been more generally and, perhaps,
more harshly criticised than any single
act of any American president.
The great question with the admin
| istration now is how it can best sneak
out of its unpleasant predicament. al
though it Is believed that positive as
surance have been given to the British
ambassador and the Japanese minister
that the monarchy 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 d few days ago
positively asserting as to the nature of
the instructions given to Minister Will
lis. Should it end in Mr., Cleveland's s
making Gresham the scapergoat and
throwing him out of the cabinet there
will be no tears shed by either repub-
licans or democrats, as Gresham's
| course in this matter has caused him to
lose the few friends his political somer-
sault had left him.
Representative Bourke Cochran, the
| New York congressman who has been
sat upon by Tammany because he OBJ
jected to being mere puppet of
Croker's, threw bombshell among his
| democratic colleagues on the house
ways and means committee who had
in his absence decided that an income
tax should be attached to the new
tariff bill, when he informed them
that an income tax imposed by a
| democratic administration and con-
gress would result in making New
York city, now the democratic Glib
ralter, 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 disasterous to the democratic
party. Mr.. Cockran's remarks created
a momentary stampede among his fell
low democrats on the committee, and
will hardly result in getting the income
tax dropped from the bill.
The administration having by its
lack of foresight and of irmness when
firmness would have proven benef-
cial, brought the cash in the treasury
down to the lowest point at which it
has been since the Buchanan admin
istration came so near to bankruptlng
the government, is now very diligently
at work stopping 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 states
man: The postmaster general in
glancing over the list of supplies pur-
chased for postofices discovered an
item that deeply aroused his anger.
| He was thunderstruck, so to speak,
when he saw that the U. S. govern
ment actually bought twine 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 economy, as he
dictated an order that no more twine
was to be bought for their use. The
next great act of spigot economy also
relates to letter carriers. A lot of old
cast off letter carriers leather bags,
which have been from time to time
forwarded to Washington by post
masters who have made acquisitions
for new ones, have been at considerable
expense patched up and as long as the
supply holds ous they will be sent to
those postmasters who make requi-
sitions for new ones. The letter car.
riers may feel thankful that thev 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-
sents, to force the bill through con-
gress and silence the democratic oppo
sition thereto. Much depends upor
the character of the bill, which will
presumably be made public this week
| or next as to whether If can he forced