The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1893-12-01
NO. so.
Washington Letter.
WASHINGTON, Nov. ", 1898.
From our regular CorreSpondentl

| WASHINGTON, w NOV. ~, 1875.
| From our regular Correspondent
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 everv
employe OF the State Department was
compelled to take an oath of secrecy
beforehand, in order to prevent anv 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
netween the one-sided representations
OF Minister paramount Blount and
Secretary Gresham's hatred of ex-Presi-
dent Harrison, he has been hood
wlnked 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,
although it is believed that positive as
surances have been given to the Brit
lsh 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 that they were
few days ago positively asserting as to
the nature of the instructions given
by 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 had been
set upon by Tammany because he Oh
jected to being mere puppet of Gro
ker'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 beattached to the new tariff
bill, when he informed them that an
income tax imposed by democratic
administration and Congress would re-
suit in making New York City, now
the democratic Gibralter, republican
he also told them that
this proposed tax was an attempt by
certain would be leaders of the demo-
cratic party to pander to the populists
and warned them that if iewas carried
iuto effect it would prove disastrous
to the democratic party. Mr.. Cock
rams remarks created momentary
stampede among his fellow democrats
on the committee, but will hardly re-
suit in getting the income tax dropped
from the bill.
The administration having by it's
lack of foresight and of firmness when
frmness would have proven beneficial
brought the cash in the Treasury down
to the lowest point at which it has been
since the Buchanan administration
came so near to bankrupting the gov
eminent 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
of the spigot style of states
man: the Postmaster General in
glancing over the list of supplies pur-
chased for post-offices 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 bund-
les of mail. "Let them buy leather
straps and use them," shouted this
apostle of spigot economy, as he dicta-
ted an order that no more twine was
to be bought for their use The next
great act of spigot economy also re-
lates to the 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 go long as the
supply holds out they will be sent to
those postmasters who make requisi-
tions for new ones. The letter car
riers 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
dill to a democratic caucus. Those in
charge of the bill say that it would
certainly be cut all to pieces if it went
to causus, and that they prefer to
rely upon the power of Mr.. Cleveland
whose ideas the bill fully represents,
20 force the bill through Congress and
silence the democratic opposition
thereto. Much depends upon the
character of the bill, which will pre-
sumably be made public this week or
next, as to whether it can be forced
through Congress.