The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1895-05-03
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, April 20, 1905.

President Cleveland has A right TO
feel offended with any democrat who
believes that he contemplates or has
ever contemplated taking any step
that would even seem like an attempt
to coerce Federal Office holders into
advocating his view of financial
matters. No one is surprised that
republicans should pretend to believe
that the President has such intentions;
they have always misrepresented his
acts as well as his intentions, but it
is certainly surprising that any demo
crat, In view of Mr.. Cleveland's record
on the subject of office-holders taking
an active part in political matters,
should be willing to accept such a
story. President Cleveland doesn't
differ from other men, in wishing to
see his views on finance, or any other
public question, adopted by his party,
but he has no idea of asking or of
allowing office holders to neglect their
legitimate duties in order to advocate
his own or anybody else's views on
finance or any other political subject.
The much talked about Allianca
incident will soon be satisfactorily
settled. Secretary Gresham this week
received a dispatch from Minister
Taylor saying that the Spanish govern
ment would accede to all of the de-
mands of the United States in the
Alliance affair, and that the captain
OF the gunboat that fired on the
Alllanca would be punished for so
doing.
Now that it has been settled that
the Supreme Court will hear argu-
ments on the petition for a rehearing
OF the income tax cases on May 6,
and expected that a full bench will
sit on that date, everybody is trying
to discover some method of ascertain
ing how Justice Jackson will vote, as
his vote is likely to be the deciding
one as to rehearing, and if favorable
thereto, as to constitutionaity of the
law. Justice Jackson, although
democrat, was appointed to the
Supreme Court by President Harri-
son. He was made U. S. Circuit
Judge by President Cleveland, during
his first term.
So we are to lose our "Teddy
after all. He has not beer able to
stand the "tafy" lavished upon him
by big New Workers, who believe, or
have made him believe that they be-
iieve him to be the only man who can
make a thorough job of reforming
the police force of New York city.
Consequently "Teddy," otherwise
known as Hon. Theodore Roosevelt,
will resign from the U. S. Civil Service
Commission and accept the position
of Police Commissioner of New York
city. 1t is not surprising that the
newspapers of New York city should
have been a urit in favoring this
change Of base on the part of "Teddy."
They know that he will keep himself
and everybody else connected with
the police department of that city in
hot watF from the time he enters
Office, and that ne will stir up lots of
interesting local copy for them. But
will he reform the police That's
another question altogether. He may,
and then again he may not. He has
been the High Mucky Muck of the
U. s. Civil Service Commission during
the greater part of two administra-
tions, but if lie has been instrumental
in bringing about any real reforms in
the Government service no one except
himself has been able to locate them.
But he always shows up well in a
newspaper interview, and talks inter-
estingly; hence he has had little diff
Guilty In keeping himself before the
public, which is always ready to for
give any fad of those who know how
to make themselves interesting. Wash
ington regrets the loss of Teddy"
but expects to keep track of him
through the New York papers.
President Cleveland might have
been excused for smiling and quietly
shaking hands with himself when he
learned that his "Boy Comptroller
of the Currency-Hon. James II.
Eckels-had been offered $4,000 a
year to become financial editor of the
Chicago Times Herdld, which has
recently become the property Of Mr..
Kohlsaat, and had declined the offer.
1t was certainly a notable tribute to
the sagacity of President Cleveland in
selecting Mr.. Eckels for the position
he has filled SO well.
The latest estimate of Treasury
officials is that at least 20 per cent of
those who are known to be liable to
the income tax have failed to make
returns, among them some of the rich
est men in the country, including the
Vanderbilts. The delinquents will be
proceeded against as soon as possible,
but legal resistance is expected from
most Of them, as it is known that it
was by the advice of their lawyers
that many of them failed to make
returns.