The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-07-25
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent

full, but the power exercised by them
over the expenditures of their re-
spectlve nations was not greater than
that now claimed for a subordinate
official of the U. S. Treasury. Ac-
cordlng to this claim, the Comp
troller has the authority to refuse
payment of appropriations made by
Congress and approved by the Pres
ident, whenever he believes, or
makes a pretense of believing, that
said payment would be unconstitu-
tional, and the claimant has no re-
dress or appeal, except to enter suit
for the amount claimed in the Court
of Claims. The first notice of this
remarkable claim of authority was
given several days ago when
voucher for about ST., 1000, in favor
of the Oxford Company OF Nebraska,
manufacturers of beet sugar, was
held off by the Comptroller, and the
company notified that the Comp
troller would hear argument as to
the constitutionality of the Act of
Congress appropriating 1898, 900 to
pay for the bounty on the beet sugar
manufactured before the repeal of
the bounty clause of the Mckinley
law. The Comptroller says he be-
lieves the sugar bounty law to have
been unconstitutional, which is d
little queer, in view of his having
allowed SIP, 100000 or thcreabouts,
to be paid out under that law dur
ing the fiscal year ending June 80,
1894, without a protest. The real
facts of this business are well known.
Comptroller Bowler is merely fig
ure head, who repeats his lesson
Just as it is taught to him. In ad
dition to the money appropriated for
the beet sugar makers, there was
$4,000, 900 appropriated by the last
Congress to pay deferred sugar
bounties-they will be deferred sure
enough it seems. This money the
administration doesn't wish to pay
out until a Republican Congress
shall have put more money in the
National Treasury. Comptroller
Bowler has been swelled up by praise
and made the tool of smarter men
to carry out this idea. The same
tactics are, according to current re-
port, to be used to defer payment
on the contract made with the In
ternational Steamship Company for
the transportation of mails to Eu-
rope. This contract was made by
Mr.. Wanamaker, when he was Post
master General, under an act of
Congress, and includes the use of
the steamships owned by the Com
pany as government cruisers in time
of war.
That mysterious Cabinet meeting
has naturally been the subject of
much gossip and of numberless
rumors. That the Spanish minister
who came to Washington about the
same time that Secretary Olney did,
if he did not accompany him, was
the cause Of this Cabinet meeting is
certain, and that it discussed the
Cuban revolution. All else is con-
lecture, owing to the air of mystery
with which those who attended the
meeting have since surrounded
themselves, although it is difficult to
imagine any good reason why there
should be any secrecy as to the posi-
ton this government occupies to-
wards either Spain or the revolving
Cubans. Rumor says the Spanish
minister went so far as to ask that
those American editors who are dis
posed to sympathize with the Cubans
should be muzzled by the Secretary
of State. The administration would
seem to have about all the muzzling
it can attend to, in trying to shut
the mouths of the Silver Democrats
without tackling the editors of the
country, although Secretary Olney
is probably fully in accord with the
idea of press censorship.
The Popuhsts are much chagrin-
ned over the latest phrase of the re-