The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-02-17
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHING TON, D. c., Feb. l3, 1893

Democrats in Congress are far from being
pleased with the financial outlook. The
House Ways and Means committee made
favorable report OF Representative Bynum's
resolution authorizing an investigation OF the
charge publicly made that Sec. Foster had
made deal with some New York bankers
whereby he was to exchange at par for gold
$5O,OOO.OOU of L. $. bonds. The fact that
New York bankers are seldom philanthropy
lists, and they are known to BE- furnishing the
treasury with gold caused many people to be-
ieve this charge; hence the necessity for an
investigation. The public wants no secret
Juggling with the finances of the country. 1t
is only fair to Sec. Foster and the pres mt adj
ministralion to say that they deny the charge
Of issuing or of having promiset To issue
bonds for gold. Still t is baeve | bv some
that Sec Fo Ger, who is now in New York, is
there to break up the dea', b, cause of the pro-
posed awe ii ,Atior.
.'Silver week in the House and Senate
amounted to nothing more substantial than
20 make il certain that no silver egislation
would take place at the present session. 1t
has been repeatedly stated here within the
last ten DAYS that Presid.nt-elect Cleveland
had said he would call an imme li..te extra
session Of the neXt Cog ess the presel
failed to take some action that would stop
| the purchase of silver bv the gOvernn cit. but
not that Congress has by vo rs in both II )use
and Senate given no. ice Oflt failure to take
such action no one seems to be certain that
| an early session will be called, and there ap-
pears to be doubt in the minds of quite a
number of democrats as to whether Mr.. Cleve
| | nd ever authorized those statements.
The talk of the republicans on the floors of
| Congress and in private, on the Pension ques
| ton, is very different. Privately they admit
| that if something is not done to re lure them
the payments will on bankrupt the country,
but ON the floors of Congress they bitterly re-
sist every attempt to reduce the amount paid.
The House Committee on Appropriations at.
| ter careful consideration has recommended
some amendments to the general Pension
Appropriation bills, now being considered by
the House, which would if they became laws
save $3O,0O0,OOO year, but the republicans
are doing everything in their power to pre-
vent the adoption Of hese amendments. 0 Q
| of the amendments provides for transferring
| the Pension bureau to the Var Depal tine t
and the detail of army officers to manage it,,
which would remove it from politics; others
provide for suspension of pensions paid to
widows who we've not married within five
years after the close of the war; to these hav-
ing yearly income of 5000 or more, and, ex
cept in cases of total disability, to alien non
residents.
|
to agree to amendments to the legislative and
executive Appropriation bills which have al
ready been passed by the House there will be
some radical changes made here on the first
of next July. The clerks in the departments
| will work eight hours instead of seven each
d.y, and will have their annual leave of alb
sence with pay cut down to Is days TIE de-
partments will cease to close on account OF
the death of ex-otficials, and Congress will
no longer pay the big prices it has paid in the
past for funeral expenses of members who
died. Whatever may be said of these amend
ments they are in the line of democratic econ-
omy, and for that very reason they will prob
ably be defeated in the mate.
The difficulty the Panama Investigation
committee has had in getting witnesses to tes
tity has caused the suspicion to be general
that ilfiuences are at work To prevent the trutl,
beipg found out. The committee has now
gone to New York to see if anything can be
| got out OF the bankers who discussed the mon
ey. Later they will 90 to Indiana to get ex.
secretary Thompson's statement of what he
did to earn his salary of $4,000 year; also
what he knows about other money sren..