The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-03-29
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.

ing asked Tor the recall OF the present
Hawaiian minister to the Uuited
States, President Cleveland and Sec
retary Gresham are dest ttving Of much
credit Tor their forbeafance la allowing
him to remain here as long as they
have. 1t is doubtful whether there is
another country in the world that
would have allowed this man to have
remained uEder the circumstances. 1t
was notorious during the last session
of Congress that Minister Thurston
not only furnished the opponents of
the administration with ammunition
to fight the Hawaiian policy of the al
ministrailon, both in and out of Con
gress, but actually became lobbyist
against that policy himself These
facts are recognized BY republicans as
well as democrats. Senator Hale, of
Maine, who has been from the first a
rabid Hawaiian annexationist, said of
the request for Thurston's recall: a
have no inside or exclusive informa.
tlon, but the published reports say
that Mr. Thurston's recall has been
asked because he made public diplo-
matte correspondence before submit
ting it to Secretary Gresham. If this
is correct he was clearly in the wrong
and could not expect that the Secre-
tary would do otherwise than ask for
his recall. 1t was clearly a breach Of
official etiquette, and is practice
which this country cannot afford to
encourage. There might be times
when such a course would lead to
serious consequences, and if matters
of international importance are to be
so treated by the representatives of
foreign governments We might as well
have no State Department. There
are reasons for the belief that MIR.
Thurston never would have been re
celved as the minister Of the Hawaiian
republic had it not been that op-
ponents of the administration would
have charged refusal to receive him
to prejudice against the government
he represented. He made himself
Objectionable when he was one of the
annexation commissioners, before he
became minister.
Administration birthdays fall close
together, at least, four of them do.
President Cleveland was fifty eight
last Monday, Secretary Gresham six
ty.three last Sunday (St. Patrick's
day. Secretary Herbert sixty one last
Tuesday week ago March I2) and
Secretary Morton will be sxty-three
April a7th. Secretary Lamont might
also be added to the group, as he
celebrated his forty fourth birthday
on the 9th of February.
Postmaster General Bissell says he
is working now just because he prefers
work to idleness. Everything about
the Postoffice department is in good
shape, and the department could easi
ly be run by the assistants until Post.
master General Wilson gets ready to
take charge, but Mr.. Blssell would
have 10 remain in Washington for
some time because the lease on his
Washington house does not expire for
more than month yet and he cannot
get possession of his Buffalo residence
until about the same time, owing to
its having been leased to friend, so
he prefers to remain IN charge Of the
department. 1t would seem that MIR.
Bissell never had any idea when he
entered the cabinet Of remaining in
office longer than this spring. The
leases, in Buffalo and Washington,
tell the story.
Another row is developing among
the republican members of the House
of the Fifty fourth Congress. Just be
fore the adjournment of Congress the
% republican members of the House
who were re elected held a secret
caucus and decided that all of the i'm
portant committee chairmanships
should be given to them also that
they chould control all of the House
patronage. The secret was not well
kept, and when the new members
heard about it they were naturally |
d dspleased. A count of noses shows |
that there are I35 new republican
members elect Of the next House, and,
according to statement made by some
Of them, they propose to band them
selves together for the purpose Of
thwarting the scheme of the old mem
bers to monopolize everything in
sight, and it is said that some of them
wish to push their power to the extent
of clecting one of their number
speaker, instead of Mr.. Reed, because
Of his having endorsed the proposed |
grab game of the old members. The
new members have the power to do
what they please when it comes to
organizing the next House, but 1t
remains to be seen whether they have
nerve enough to exercise their power.
None of the diplomatic complica-
tions have been entirely settled
things move slowly in the diplomatic
world-but they are all in course of
settlement on a basis entirely satisiac
torv 10 the administration. exceDt |