Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-12-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS OF THE MoNITos. ]
WASHINGTON, Dec. 0. 1895.

Washington, Dec. o, 1895.
The meeting of the republican ma
tional committee to- morrow is at
tracing more attention in Washing
ton this week than congress. The
reason is obvious. The senate can
transact little, if any, important bust
ness until the question of reorganiza-
ton has been settled, and the House
can do little until Speaker Reed an
nounces the committees.
Incidentally with the meeting of the
national committee a crowd of enthu-
siastic McKinleyites have descended
upon Washington and open headquar-
tiers for the purpose of pushing along
the boom of Ohio's favorite son, which
they consider not only a good thing
but the best thing of it's kind OH the
road. They found plenty of sympa-
thizers in Washington, as few men
have more personal friends in con-
gress than Gov. Mckinley, and few
of those friends have warmer feelings
| for him than the big MANN every
sense of the worldwide presides over
| the House and who is one of his rivals
for the presidential nomination. The
| two men worked side by side in the
House for long period and fully I'M
derstand each others worth land while
neither would probably say as much
for publication, it would be good
guess to say that each of them is the
others second choice for president;
but it must not be inferred from such
a guess that either would sulk should
the national convention in It's assem-
bled wisdom decide to nominate one
of the other capable and popular gen.
tlemen who have been mentioned.
They are both republicans of the tried
and true kind, who always work their
hardest for party success regardless
of who may head the ticket.
For a man who lays a claim to more
than an average share of courage, Mr.
Cleveland has a queer-not to put
worse construction upon it-way of
acting. Although he knew that con
gress and the country were deeply in
terested in the answer to the admin
istration's request to know whether
Great Britain intended to submit the
| Venezuelan boundary dispute to arbi-
tration, and that the answer would
be in Secretary Olney's hands on Sat-
urday, he skunk off on a duck hunting
trip, aboard of a government light
house tender, without even setting
time for his return, leaving congress
and the country to await his august
pleasure before being permitted to see
that answer, which is known to be un-
satisfactory. He may not have afraid
to face the music raised by his uneX-
pected stand in favor of the Monroe
doctrine, but there are people who be-
lieve he was, and that he went away
hoping that congress would take the
bit in it's teeth, demand the cores
pondence of Secretary Olney, and
dictate a reply to Lord Salisbury be-
fore he returned to Washington. That
may be putting the case little too
strong, but there can be no doubt tnat
Mr. Cleveland's absence at this time
is disrespectful to congress and to the
American people and nnjustifiable
from any point of view.
While it is probable that the repub-
licans of the House will hold a caucus
after the committee is announced be-
fore definitely deciding what shall be
done to furnish the treasury with the
money which Mr.. Cleveland would
not ask for, although he and every
body else knows how badly it is need
ed, the expression of members make
it practically certain that the money
will be raised by increasing the tariff
on a number of articles.
It is regarded as probable that the
claims of the western senator's for the
chairmanships of the senate commit
tees which have to do exclusively
with western affairs will be almost if
not entirely granted by the caucus
committee of republican senator's
now engaged in selecting republicans
for the vacant committee places;
hence there are no believers in the sill
ly story of an intended revolt on the
part of western republicans.
In offering the resolution asking for
all the correspondence of the Waller
case, Representative Miller of Kansas
was acting for the entire congression-
al delegation of his state. This is the
first step in the fight that is to be
made in congress to secure for Waller
what the administration has failed to
get for him-iustice.