Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1894-03-29
Washington Letter.
(From our regular Correspondent }
WASHINGTON, March %, 1894,

"oih endn Jndb Wnlcn naSs just closed.
Last Monday Vice President Steven
son signed the Bland bill for the coin
age of the seigniorage ard it was at
once placed in the hands of the Presi-
dent. Since that time he has devoted
his entire time to the bill. ard although
no announcement has bSen made to
that effect the opinion seems to be
gaining ground here that he will veto
the bill. If he neither vetoes nor signs
the bill by Thursday OF this week it
Will become a law without any action
on the Presidents part The veto OF
the bill will be a great disappointment
to democrats from the south and west
in Congress, but il it be vetoed no at
tempt will be made to pass it over the
veto.
Secretary Gresham smashed some
procedents when he made public the
new treaty with China in advance of
the action of the Senate upon it, but it
was the sensible thing to do. even if
garbled extracts from the treaty had
not leaked out and been printed in
papers unfriendly towards the admin
lstratlon. vi course Secretary Gresh-
am would have preferred that the ma
king public of this treaty should have
beeu deferred until it could have been
accompanied by the commercial treaty,
to which it was the stepping stone.
which has been negotiated and is now
awaiting the approval Of the Chinese
government The present treaty re-
late entirely to the rights of the eiti-
zens vi two Countries when living in
either, and contains several marked
concessions concerning the coming Of
Chinese to Ame.ica- For that reason
1t Is Objectionable to some vi the Sen-
ators and Representatives from the
Pacific coast, but, in view Of the adj
vantage. ,sspe gained by the CONNER
eial treaty, TO come later. it is not
thou9ht lhat the opposition will be
cation OF this treaty, but the Senate
may decide. on account OF the slippery
ness OF Chinese diplomacy, to win
ho4d ratification until IL is known thai
the commercial treaty has been ap-
proved by China.
Nothing Is easier than to build up
absurd s.orles oy accepting wrong
con strt c ions Of a act us IL foundation
upon which to bullc, and nothing is
appeatentiv more enjoyable to those
Washington correspo. dents who furn-
1,h Imaginary matter for the sen. IL
t.onal republican press than 10 put a
wfoLg construction upon every ac.
President Cleveland >. A case in point
was the designation by the President
Of Rear Admiral Walker for the coA-
mand OF the Pacific Station. Although
1t was officially stated that Admiral
Walker was given this command be-
cause the administration had decided
to extend an appropriation made in
ls92, by congress. in fitting up Il coal
and naval station at Pearl Harbor
Hawaii the right to do so having ex-
listed since the ratification of the treaty
OF 1887, and he was thoroughly fami.-
lar with the harbor and its surround
ings, but putting wrong construction
upon it, these correspondents built up
stories showing that the selection was
made because OF an intention to inter-
fere with the provisional goyernn ent
of Hawaii. There stories We're not
only false and known by their con
coeters to be false, but they were a
positive insult to the President of the
United States, who had months ago
formally and officially turned all ma
ters reiating 10 the government of
Hawaii over to congress; yet they WEI
printed. Legitimate criticism is all
right in its proper place. but lies and
misrepresentation are always coward
ly and always contemplate no matter
who makes use OF them.
General Wade Hampton knows as
we'll how to snub impertinence as any
man in public life. The other day he
called on Senator who has private
secretary who is victim Of the impe.- :
tinont habit. AS the General after leav-
ing the SenatoM was passing through
the room occupied by the Secretary
that individual spopped him and said:
You asked for hal minute and have
stayed in half an hours you ought 10
get a medal" "Young man. replied
General Hampton without u moments
hesitation, you remind me Of what Mrs.
Partington told Ike when he said he
was going 10 get medal" WHAT
was that?' asked the smart AlecS with
q grin, well Ike you deservesa medal