Milford chronicle., 1893-06-16
wAsHINoToN LHrrBH
wAsnINeroN. Iune Il. -iSs5.

"There's a curse upon the building ever
since within its walls the great Lincoln, was
stricken down by the cowardly assassin, and
If had my way il should be entirely demQl-
ished and the grouud be forever left unbmN
upon.r Thus spoke an cid man, standing IN
front Of Ford's old theatre, who had witt
messed the assassination Of Lincoln aud also
saw some of the narrowing and heart rende
ing scenes which followed the collapse of
the floors Of the same building, last Friday
causing the death Of twenty-five and the in
Jury Of sixty-eight employees Of the Sur
geon Generals Office, Il seems iueredit-
able but il is nevertheless strictly true, that
nearly 500 men should have been compelled
to work in this building which as long ago
as 1866 has been condemned as unfit for use
and unsafe, and the knowledge that there
are number Of other buildings occupied by
the government that are no better but adds
to the horror felt by the people Of Washing
ion al the awful and needless slaughter OF
human beings, Money has beeu freely con
tribuled by our people, for the families OF
the dead and wounded, and an army court Of
inquiry is engaged in locating the personal
responsibility, likewise a corousrs jury; but
it lies where neither Of them can reach-iu
Congress, which has repeatedly refused TO
provide proper quarters for these and hun
dreds of other government employees.
similar accident is liable to occur any day at
the government Printing Olice a building
known to be unsafe and yet daily occupied
by nearly 5000 men and women; and the
Winder building. occupied by a branch Of
the War Department has also long been in
an unsafe condition, likewise a portion of
the Patent Office and an annex 10 the Post
Office Department. Perhaps this teEihle
disaster will have the effect Of awake nj ~
Congress TO its duty in providing safe al
proper quarters for employees Of the govern
F.~ Ia
will certainly occur some day
Mr.. Cleveland is the 6ss, President since
Buchanan TO publicly plead the baby act
and the sight is humiliating % every man
who admires pluck and bravery, and all
Americans do. Instead Of making Use Of the
means provided by wise Republican legisla
tion years ago for such contingencies, to re.
lieve the financial Distress he says in effect
81 didn't make this financial striugency and
will take no step towards relieving it, uu-
less expressly authorized by Congress,
which is responsible, so to do, " Nice Ian
guaRe that for n President, isn't it? Please
understand that there IS no politics ~ this
question, It IS strictly one Of business, and
Republicans are ready and willing to sup
port and uphold the President in any and
every effort he might make to relieve the
country, but it is difficult to see how any
man can uphold him in pleading the baby
act That neither he nor his Secretary of
the Treasury are hnanciers is already well
known, but they might at least have been
wise enough 20 have taken advantage of the
safeguards provided by law, Instead Of ieav-
ing the country to dria until Congress
meets. Mr., Cleveland is apparently so blind
ed by his anxiety to compel the repeal Of
the Sherman silver law that he can see
nothing else, and his blindness is little
short Of 4 pu Bile misfortune.
Now that those eminent free traders,
David A Wells. aud Edward Atkinson, have
succeeded in naming the chlef of the Bureau
of Statistics Worthiugton Ford, of New
York, lit is to be hoped that they will not
insist upon having the statistics prepared by
that bureau doctored so as to make argu-
meuts in favor of free trade, but it is prob
ably too much to hope for from such sources
A large force of pension examiners are to
go over the papers in every pension granted
under the act ofIS9O, for the aYowed purpose.
Of discovering how many of these pension
ers can be dropped under Secretary Smiths
recent ruling as 10 portion Ofthat law. An
other purpose will thus be accomplished that
is not avowed but which is thoroughly un-
deTstood here the number of original pen
sions granted will necessarily be consider
ably lesseued while these Examiners are put |
ting in all their time going over old cases.
Mr. Cleveland doesn't turn down all the
democrats who have spoken slightiugly OF
him-if he did the muewumps would get all
the Offices Mr.. Jacob + Child, of Missouri, !
who was minister TO Siam, "when Cleve
land was on earth", as Colonel Cockerill ir-
reverentlY speaks Of Clevelands s first admin
istratiou, has been appointed counsel to
Ilankow, China Mr. Child spent his opiu-
ion very freely Of the President during the
first week of the administration, Oh account
of the lex" rule which by the way, has
been broken so often that nobody any more
even thinks it, and remarked of him pub
licly the dag he left Washington for Mis-
souri,; II helped to place the laurel on his
brow, aud I'll be here again to lay the bay
upon his bier"