The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-09-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
prom our Regular Correspondent0
WASHINGTON. Sent. 3. 1894

House? He has certainly done a
number of things recently that IN
dictate that he does, and quite a
number of the shrewdest observers
of things political at the National
Capital have stated their opinions
to be that Mr.. Cleveland would be
glad to see either the Republicans
control, or the Populists hold the
balance of power in the next House.
His last act before leaving Wash
lngton was to appoint long list of
posCmasters, three-fourths of whom
were opposed by the Democratic
Congressman from their districts;
thus apparently adding all he could
to the difficulties already being ex.
perIenced by the aforesaid Demo
cratic Congressman. He is also at
the bottom of the row in the demo-
cratic Congressional campaign COM
mittee, which will probably result
in that committee not sending out
any tariff documents at all, leaving
every Democratic candidate free to
decide for himself whether he will
defend or abuse the sugar trust
tariff law.
The theory Of those who believe
this to be Mr.. Cleyeland's position
is that he has had quite enough
Democratic legislation and wishes
to see Congress i'll a position where
it can do nothing for the next two
years, except to pass the regular
appropriation bills. He hopes by
that time that the people will have
forgotten the disastrous first two
years of his administration, and
that he will haYe at least a fighting
chance to be reelected should he
succeed in getting the nomination
again, which he is egotistical
enough to believe that he can easily
do, Notwithstanding his being Oh
bad terms with nearly every prom
inent member of his party. There
is one little drawback certain to
defeat his scheme, even should all
the rest of it work-the people will
not forget.
Secretary Gresham either has
short memory or he thinks the
American people have. When the
tariff bill was pending in the Sem
ate news was cabled from Europe
that if the sugar trust schedule be-
came law Spain would retaliate by
abrogating the reciprocity agree
ment under which American prod
ucts were given special rates by
Cuba and Porto Rico. So great an
impression did that cablegram
make on the Senate that resolu-
ton was adopted asking the Secre-
tary of State if he had any knowl-
edge of an intention upon the part
of Spain or any other country to
retaliate upon the United States
because of the tariff bill. In
answer to that resolution Secretary
Gresham said he had no such infor-
nation and intimated that nobody
else had and that he did not believe
any country contemplated such
action. Now, when the State de-
partment is in possession of the
official notification of the abroga-
ton of the reciprocity agreement
with Spain for Cuba and Porto
Rico, he says he is not surprised
and that he expects other countries
to abrogate the reciprocity agree
ments made under the Mckinley
law. 1t looks as though Mr..
Gresham also allows the interests of
the sugar trust to regulate his Off
clal utterances.
Mr.. Phillip 7. Colgroye, chair
man of the State League of Repub-
lican clubs of Michigan, is visiting
Washington. He says: 1.-The
Democrats will make a poor show
ing IN Michigan this year. The
grand old party will sweep the state
by fifty thousand to seventy-five
thousand majority. 1t can beat
the combined opposition of Demo-
Gratis and Populists, with the Pro-
hibitions thrown in. OF the twelve
Congressional districts, the Repub-
licans will carry all but the first"
Senator Henderson is trying hard
to convince Secretary Carlisle Of
the injustice Of bis decision that no
more sugar bounties should be paid.
Senator Henderson contends, and
it is common sense contention,
that the sugar makers are entitled
to the bounty on every pound Of
sugar made up to the hour that the
tariff bill went into effect, and he is
not without hope that Secretary Car
Isle will reverse his decision. as he
has already reversed several other
tariff decisions he has made.
Whether he succeeds or not that
clause of the tariff bill which re-
peaIs the sugar bounty wilt proba-
bly, get into the courts sooner or
later, rs it is contended by many
that the government is bound TO