Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1894-02-22
Washington Letter.
From or Regular Correspondent.l
wAsnIxeros, D. G.. Feb. 1s. 1894.

with the contradictory reports Wnlcn
have been given out by friends OF dem
ocratic Senators as to what the demo-
Gratis on the Senate Finance committee
propose doing with the sugar clause OF
the Cleveland tariff bill. One day it is
stated that sugar is to be allowed TO re-
main on the free list and the next that
it is to have duty of anywhere from
one-half a cent to one and one-half
cents pound put upon it. This rumor
SAYS that these contradictory statements
are made solely for the purpose Of Civ
ing certain men an opportunity TO
speculate in the New York stock ex-
change. 1t is now stated the demo
cratic members of the subcommittee
which has charge Of the tariff bill that
it will certainly be reported to the full
committee early next week, but they
said the same thug week ago. There
are some democratic Senators who
have not yet been satisfied end the bill
will not be reported until they are.
= The House had very lively time
this week discussing the Bland bill for
the coinage of the seigniorage in the
Treasury. A controversy between Mr..
Bland and ex-Speaker Reed grew so
warm that the acting Speaker had to
call on the Sergeand-at arms before
quiet was restored. AS a parliamen-
tartan Mr.. Bland ism tin the same class
with the ex-Speaker. Few men IN the
House are, for that matter.
Lei the mugwumps and whangdoodles
blow few more blasts on their horns.
Another great democratic reform IN the
civil service has been consummated.
This week 160 republican clerks in the
Pension Bureau, many of them veteran
of the war, were reduced regardless of
their efficiency. and 200 democratic
clerks in the same establishment were
promoted for no other reason than
that they were democrats. How is that
for reform with big r?
Representative Meiklejohn, OF Ne
braska, is after the administration with
a little pension resolution that will
come very close to convicting Mr..
Cleveland of misrepresentation. either
intentional or through lack of proper
information, in his annual message to
Congress. In preamble to the resolu-
ton Mr.. Meiklejohn recalls the Ian
guage used in the Presidents message
OF Dec. 4, 1898, and copies the order of
the Commander-in-C Chief of the g. A. X.
quoting Mr.. Cleveland's statement that
thousands of neighborhoods have their
welLknown fraudulent pensioners, and
recent developments by the bureau es-
tablish appalling conspiracies to accom-
pllsh pension frauds" and urging all
comrades to report at once to the Com
missioner of Pensions the name of any
person known to be drawing pension
to which he was not justly entitled.
Then follows: - Resolved, that the
Commissioner of Pensions is hereby re-
quested to furnish the House with cop
les of all reports received by him under
this order of the Commander-in-Chief of
the G. A. r. of persons in receipt of a
pension who are not entitled to the
same under the law" The Commits
sioner will have hard time complying
with this order, because there have been
no such reports, for the very good and
sufficient reason that there are no such
individuals, as ''well-known fraudulent
pensioners. No one doubts that
among the large number of pensioners
there are some frauds, but it is an insult
to every American citizen to say that
they are well known to their neighbors
as frauds.
Some men are caught by one thing
and some by another, but the theory OF
MIR. Cleveland seems 20 be that all DEM
ocrats can be caught by something.
He has this week added two democratic
senators to the cuckoo band. Senator
George, of Mississippi, was caught oy
being made dispenser-in-chief OF the
Federal patronage in his state. This
was double play on the part of MIR.
Cleveland 1t turned one opponent into
a supporter and gave new opponent
Senator McLaurin, of Mississippi
Touchdown al the very beginning OF
his official life. Senator Faulkner. of
West Virginia, the other cuckoo. was
caught through the social ambition of
his young and beautiful bride, Mrs.
Cleveland aiding her husband.
The administration pie department
spread a gorgeous lunch for the hungry
dem ocrats this week, but there was
nothing for the antcuckoo wing of the
party in the long list of appointments
made. 1t is not enough for an office
4 II.