Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1893-07-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, July "a, 1898,

changes in the plans of the adj
ministration. The announce.
ment was made months ago that
the administration in conjunction
with several eminent free-traders
intended to prepare tariff bill
and that Secretary Carlisle's sup
posed knowledge on the subject
was the principal reason for his
having been made Secretary of
the Treasury-his best friends
never claimed that he was select
ed for his financial knowledge;
they couldn't, because he had
none. This was printed in all the
administration papers and was
never denied until now, when
Secretary Carlisle says that no
tariff bill is being prepared, and
that neither he nor President
Cleveland ever Thought of doing
anything which might be inter-
preted as an ettempt to dictate to
the House what it should do in
regard to the tariff" He forgets
however, to tell why this state
ment was not made long ago,
which makes the inference clear
that the free trade idea has been,
for the time anyway, abandoned.
Democratic Congressman have
already begun to do some very
plain talking to Commissioner
Lochren about the the Wholesale
suspension of pensions he has
been making, and unless they are
quieted in some way number OF
them representing districts hav-
ing large number of old SOL
der voters will join the republ1-
cans in bringing this matter be-
fore Congress.
There seems to be hitch some
where in regard to the House
committee chairmanships. In as
much as Mr., Crisp's reelection to
be Speaker has been q certainty
for months past Ii is difficult to
understand why there should be
any delay in announcing the COM
mittees and it was not supposed
there would be. Mr.. Crisp's
friends have been saying ever
since he was here several weeks
ago that he would arrange the
committees before he returned
and expected to announce them
just as soon as he took his seat as
Speaker; but, as | said, there
seems to be q hitch somewhere,
for these same men now say that
he hopes to complete the commit
tees within 3 week or ten days af-
ter Congress meets. This sort OF
thing is mere child's play, and
this announcement is now made,
not because Mr.. Crisp does not
expect to have the committee as
signments all made when he
comes to Washington, next week,
but because he fears that the rows
which will follow his having
obeyed Mr.. CleYeland's orders in
making those assignments will
necessitate making some changes
after he gets here before they are
made public.
Comptroller Eckels wants to be
Secretary OF the Treasury-that
young man has gall-and he Is
charged with having started the
last rumor about the intended re,
tirement of Secretary Carlisle be,
cause of a disagreement with Mr.
Cleveland.
Secretary Carlisle denies very
emphatically the rumor which
came from New York. that he had
been rendered the vacancy in the
Supreme Court caused by the
death of Justice Blatchford. But
when asked whether he would &C.
cept it if it were rendered to him
he was discreetly silent, as be,
comes man who would be very
glad to let some other fellow hold
up the financial end of the admin
istration, if he could only read his
title clear to a membership in the
Supreme Court. His anxiety on
the subject has not been lessened
by the statement made several
days ago by friend of Secretary
Gresham. and not up to this time
contradicted, that Mr.. Cleveland
had promised that the influence of
the administration should be ex-
erted to make Gresham the demo
cratic Presidential nominee in
'96. Mr.. Carlisle hsd been en-
couraging the bee to do q little
buzzing around his head, but he
knows there cannot be two admin
istration candidates.
{ There IS one set OF democrats IN
Washington who are not slow IL
expressing their dislike of the
cheese-paring III the last Con-
gress, on at least one of the sp-
preparation bills. 1t is made up
of officials of che Post Office De-
partment who find themselves
unable TO meet the expectations of
postmasters throughout the
country in the matter of sddi-
tional help, owing 10 insntiiciepcy
of the appropriation. These
az, ni o 1c arn niraa.l,r nntfinos cnma