San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-05-19
WASHINGTON LETTER
tBy our Regular Correspondent
WAsHINGTON. MAY l6. ,9i


PLANTATION OF the somewhat erratic
course the administration took In
that Nicaraguan business. This is
not a guess, but positive state
ment Of fact obtained from trust
worthy sources. 1t has been
known from the first that the re-
publican Senators would demand
this information, but now a suf-
ticient number OF democratic Sena-
tors have pledged their co.opera-
ton to make it certain that a re-
solution calling for all the docu-
ments will be put through the
Senate with rush. And that isn't
all. 1t is on the program for
the Senate to reaffjrm the Monroe
doctrine as the people, not the law
yers Of the Cleveland Gresham
stripe, have always understood it,
European hands of American gov
ernments; and there is little doubt
that the republican House will
promptly adopt the same. Whether
the administration will be allow
ed to 60 with the tacit rebuke car
ried by Congressional reaffirma-
tion of the Monroe doctrine will
depend upon the nature of the ex-
PLANTATION it sends with Nicaraguan
correspondence.
That gallant old tar, Admiral
Meade, after forty years of service
in the navy of which any man
might be proud, has been so nag
ged by the present administration
that he has asked to be retired from
active service and, smarting under
the petty insults which have been
heaped upon him, he so far forgot
himself as to publicly express his
opinion of the administration, and
that opinion was far from compli-
mentary. This has greatly exas-
perated Mr.. Cleveland and Secre-
tary Herbert, who have demanded
an explanation or denial from Adj
miral Meade, holding out the
threat of a court-martial for viO-
lation Of naval regulations il the
Admiral declines. Admiral Meade
was unquestionably wrong in ex-
pressing his opinion, but he was
also very human. Brave men
seldom stand DIGGING silently,
whatever the consequence of re-
sentiment may be.
The conclusionof the long wrang-
lie over the Senatorship in Della
ware has attracted considerable
attention in Washington, because
OF its possible bearing on the ques-
toin of whether the Senate shall or
shall not be reorganized when Con-
gress meets. The general impress
sion is that the democratic acting
Governor of Delaware was wrong
in claiming the right to exercise
at one and the same time the
functions of Senator and Governor,
and that his vote in the last ballot
for Senator was illegal. Accept
ing that view OF the case Col.
Dupont will be admitted to the
Senate as successor to Mr.. Higgins.
Senator Sherman said on the sub
ject "Mr. Dupont will, in my judg
ment, be notwithstanding that
Gov. Watson, when he cast his vote
as Senator, was the then Governor
of the State of Delaware" In other
words, Mr.. Sherman doesn't see
how one man can be State Sena-
tor and at the same time Governor
OF State. Do you?
Although Mr.. Cleveland makes
great claims as to his devotion to
civil service reform, the Civil Ser
vice Reform Association, OF Wash
ington, at its annual meeting,
which was addressed by Comptrol-
Ter Of Currency Eckels, unanimous
ly adopted a report made by its
secretary which contained state
ments calculated to raise doubts
as t. the sincerity Of Mr.. Cleve-
lands claims in that direction.
This was particularly true OF that
portion Of the report dealing with
Recorder of Deeds Taylor, whose
violations of the civil service law
were so notorious that the Civil
Service Commission recommended,
in a report made to the Presidents
that he be dismissed from office.
The report which was unanimous
ly adopted, says: At the direction
of the executive committee OF the
association 1 inquired into the
charges against Taylor and learned
that most of them, If not all were
well founded, and l so reported to
the committee. A committee
of the association, in an inter-
view with the President towards
close of the winter, urged i'm
consideration OF the report
and recommendation OF the Civil
Service Commission, which were
made to him last August. SO far
as is known, however, the case has
not yet been disposed OF. 1t is
much to be regetted that in this
and other cases where charges 81
of civil service law heve
been made by the officials who adj
the law, there has not
followed an immediate co1sidera-
ton of them by the Executive
and where sustained,