The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1895-04-18
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, April s. 1895.

Washington, April 8. 1895.
The U. s. Supreme Court has got itself'and
nearly everybody else in stew over its deci-
sion of the income tax case. There was a leak
somewhere, and copy of the decision in
full was sold by somebody to the Washing
ton correspondent of the Chicago Tribune
for. it is said, high price. While the
members of the court are fuming about the
leak and trying to locate it, nearly every
body else except the lawyers, who look for
fat pickings from the endless litigation
expected to. follow the decision, which
exempts incomes derived from rents and
from State and municipal bonds from the
tax, is expressing more or less dissatisfac-
tion. The court was divided exactly in half
on the question of the constitutionality of
the law, which it is expected will cause
many refusals to pay the tax, because of
Justice, who has been too i'll to sit during
the present term of the court will vote
against the constitutionality OF the tax when
it is brought up again, as it is certain to be
in the near future.
Friends of the administration say that
England has assured this government that
it will not violate the Monroe doctrine in
enforcing its demands upon Nicaragua, but
it is noticeable that these same gentlemen
express much satisfaction because there is
strong feet of United States vessels in the
neighborhood of Nicaragua to watch the
English war vessels known to be on the way
there. All of which indicates that the ad-
ministration is not entirely satisfied with
those assurances. A diplomat privately
discussing the matter, said: "It must be
remembered in considering those assurances
that the English government does rot put
the same meaning upon the Monroe doctrine
that Americans do, Consequently it may
do things which it considers no violation of
that doctrine, but which may be considered
very differently by this government. 1t
would not surprise me if there were shots
exchanged by the warships of the two
countries before the affair is over"
A widely mistaken idea is prevalent con.
cerning the duties of the three engineers
just appointed by the President, under au-
thority conferred by an amendment to the
Sundry Civil Appropriation bill of 1895, to
investigate the Nicaragua canal. 1t is not
the purpose of these engineers to survey the
route of the canal rs many suppose. That
has been done long ago. Their duty is to
20 over the route as it has been surveyed
and to verify or dsprove the figures, both
as to feasibility and cost, that Congress did
not take action on the subject at the last
session. The personel of the commission
Maj. William Ludlow, U. s. A., Comman-
Noble, G. E. of Chicago it certain
that its work will be thoroughly done and
that its report will be followed by definite
Congressional action, one way or the other
Treasury officials stoutly maintain that
there is enough money on hand and in sight
to meet all obligations of the government
without encroaching upon the gold reserve
until the next Congress rreets in regular
session.
A little story is being repeated in Wash
ington that illustrates President Cleveland's
dislike of silver. For some time contest
has been going on for the control of the
Democratic party machinery in Pennsylva-
MIA, with Congressman Kerr leading one
faction and Hon. w. F. Harrity, the present
boss, leading the other. Mr.. Kerr has
managed bis fight from Washington, and has
claimed that President Cleveland was with
him. Recently Mr.. Harrity came over to
Washington and had long conference with
Mr. Cleveland, after which he stated that
there had never been any foundation for Mr..
Kerr claiming the support of the President.
That was surprising to those who knew that
Mr.. Kerr had been in almost daily consulta
tion with the President. But it was ex-
planned when it leaked out that Mr.. Kerr
was in a conspiracy with ex Congressman
Sibley, the suggested Presidential candidate
of the new silver party, and other silve
men to capture the party machinery il
Pennsylvania so as to make sure that tn,
delegates from that state to the next Demo
cratic national convention would all be meI
who would not pledge himself to silver
Whether this was merely clever ruse OIL
the part of Mr.. Harrity to get the supper
of the administration is more than can ca,
but at any rate it seems to have succeeded
It would hardly be surprising to hear tina
President Cleveland refused to use silve
spoons or forks, so intense is his dislike o
the white metal and, expecting to be agai
candidate on an anti silver platform, it i
not probable that he is going to allow tn
influence Of the administration to be uss
to elect silver delegates to the nominatin
convention.