The evening times., 1895-08-20
Ssnt from Washington

American people into the belief taat the
Treasury is in . healthy coEdition, is q
| matter OF common notoriety This plan of
| action has been s3own in every move OF
| the various executive branches of the gov
| ernment, and has resulted In broken con-
tracts, unfulfilled obligations and failure
| to carry out The expression Of legislative
| will in hundreds of new undertakings " 1ich
were deemed essential to good governmnt-
| A fresh proof OF this policy of delay and
| procrsatination is furnished in the unwar-
1 ranted Withholding offunds from the various
| United States di,trict engineers in charge
| of rivers and harbors work throughout the
country. 1t appears that the funds necessary
| for this and otter work are predicated
| upon reQuisition by each district engineer,
| intended to serve as All estimate Of the
amount of moiiey which will he probably
required, at the expiration of each month,
10 meet the expenditures of that particular
district. These acquisitions are usually
sent to the War Department about ten or
twelve days before the close of the month,
the expectation being that the money called
for will be forwarded by the Treasuy De-
pariment TO the place needed by the be-
ginning of the new month. This custom of
late has not been very closely observed, and
in consequence unpaid contractors and
their force of assistants ard iaborers, some
of whom have not yet received their pay
for tho month of June, are raising great
hue and cry about 1t. The requisition OF
Major Quinn for &62 $50 for the month of
July has not yet been hOnored, while Capt.
Derby, who made q call last month for
sos 900 with which to pay off his nlen and
the contractors, has had thus far TO whiftle
for his money. There is a great big kick
all along the line, and the Questiol is being
asked among army officers, Of what use is
there making out reQuisitions for money If
no attention is paid to them? A prominent
army officer said that he had seen service
in rivers and harbors work for years, but
never in his recollection had such state
of affairs prevailed. The reQuisitiOn re-
ceived from the district engineers are
being promptly forwarded by the War De-
partment 10 the Treasury Department, but
there they evidently meet some obstruction,
as scomplaintsa are being constantly made that
there was no money with which TO pay the
men. and much grumbliDg and dissatisfac-
ton is being expressed The total amount
of acquisitions now overdue and unpaid
aggregate fully S., 5,OOO.OO0.-F. Michinard,
Jr, III New Orleans Times-Democrat.
John L. Richardson, chairman of the
Democratic State central committee OF
Kansas, is very much surprised over his
appointment as register OF the land office
at Topeka, which was announced to-day
1t is by far too serious to be a joke and
yet the Information will create a smile On
the faces OF n number of people in Kansas.
Mr.. Richardson said that he would not take
the place. The position pays between $500
and S7O0 per year and to draw the pay he
would have to move from his home at
Wichita to Topeka and Mr.. Richardson
thinks that bis political influence should
call for much more than this. Some weeks
ago, when Mr. Richardson was at the In
terror Department, he told the officials
that he would not accept the office under
any conditions: that it was not in the line
he wanted and did not pay enough this
he had endeavored to make pia in TO the Off
cials, and now the announcement of his
appointment comes to him as a great sur
prise
Mr. Richardson and Secretary Thurber
We're schoolmates and friends in their
early days. The former had been led to
believe or expect the latter would put In
a good word for him that would amount
TO something. The appointment In the face
Of this becomes all the more Ridiculous
Harvey Fleming in Kansas City Journal
Some of the delegates to the recent silver
conference from Kentucky and Contiguous
States asserted that Senator Blackburn
would be reelected despite the failure
of the silver Democrats in Kentucky to
capture the State convention in June. Re
ports which come from Kentucky show
that Blackburn Is devoting his entire
time TO his candidacy, and that he is brim-
full Of hope Of controlling the next Iegis-
lature. The sound-money Democrats Of
the State appear to be equally certain
that he will be defeated. It is regarded
as probable that Secretary Carlisle will
Ike several soundmoney speeches in
Kentucky this fall, and in view OF the
powerful leverage exerted by his speeches
in the early summer, his friends feel justi-
fled in the belief that another series on the
same general topic would undo much
OF the work that Blackburn may have ac-
complisbed during the summer. There is
still considerable doubt as to Mr.. Car
isles intentions regarding Blackburn's
seat. His supporters says that he can have
made up their minds as to the course he
will pursue. He has said on several occa-
sions since Blackburn began his fight for
reelection that he would not be candi.
date. but in Kentucky politics statements
made months before the critical moment
do not carry a great deal OF weight Mr..
Carlisle Is now making tour of the
great lakes. and Is not worrying about his
political future.-C. c. Randolph in New
York Times.
State Department officials are beginning
10 EXHIBIT annoyance whenever they are
asked about the Waller case. Mr. Adee. the
Assistant Secretary, has assured Senator
Voorhees, that the department has been un-
remitting in its search for documents, but
he has nothing to say with regard To whae
the department has done to get Waller out |
OF prison.
The whole policy of the State Department |
from the beginning seems to have been one |
OF diplomatic imbeciity. 1t is illustrated in |
the sentence in which MT. Adee, who is a
master OF international prolixity, closes |
his letter to the Senator from Indiana: |
You may b. assued," he says. THAT |
every step consistent with diplomatic
usage will be taken by the Government to |
afford Mr. Waller the full measure Of pro- |
lection to which ne may be found entitled |
by reason of his American cItizenship-"
II b pointed out by International lawyers
that this is about an feeble an utteraDce as
could possibly have been made II assumes
that the entire subject is still open to in
vestigation, although Waller has been shut