Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1895-08-01
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, July 26, 1895.

the opinion that Comptroller Bowler
has the authority to stop the payment
of appropriations made by congress
whenever he decides the law under
which the appropriation is made to be
unconstitutional, and that there is no
appeal from his decision, except
| through the courts. All this and more
has come out through the general dis
cussion which has followed the an
nouncement of Comptroller Bowler.
that he had doubts of the constitutions
ality OF the sugar bounty act, and would
on August 7th hear arguments from
those interested in the sugar bounty
appropriation made at the last session
of congress. At first there was "a gen
eral outcry againrt such Gar like
assumption of power which few blieved
the Comptroller to have. The two
Louisiana senators aud Representative
Meyer came to protest and to get Sec
retary Carlisle to squelch the Comptrol-
Ter, and was somewhat staggered when
informed by Mr.. Carlisle that he be-
lieved the Comptroller had all the
authority claimed by him, and that
neithsr the secretary of the treasury
nor the president had any authority
over his acts or tho right to review
them. These things set people to
hunting among old government rec
ords, and it was soon discovered that
the Comptroller had for long period
OF years after the creation of the Office
exercised without question the right
to pass upon the constitutionality of
acts of congress carrying appropria-
items, and the fact that Mr.. Madison
wanted the first comptroller appointed
for life. so as to make him independent,
is cited to prove that it was the origin
al intention to make the comptroller
check upon congress- These discov-
cries are not popular, and a movement
TO strip the comptroller of power which
should only belong to the courts may
be expected at the next session of con-
gress.
sources that Ex-president Harrison is
out for denomination, notwithstand-
; ing all statements to the contrary.
! Letters from his political manager,
leaye no doubt of the existence OF an
( organized effort TO get the nomination
fer Mr.. Harrison, backed by such ex-
perienced politicians as Senator
Steve Elkins, OF w. Va, Ex-Sena-
;. tors Camden, of ~. j., and Spooner, Of
Wis and Long" Jones, of Ill.
Senator Blackburn was in Washing
: ton this week, but the most that any
: newspaper man could get him to say
was come aud take something" or
what will you have?n lit has been
learned from other sources that he
came to Washington to see about that
reported intention OF the administra-
t tion to remove all federal officials APP
5 pointed on the recommendation of sill
YER democrats. Senator Blackburn
l has quite q number of appointments to
2 his credit, and, according to my in
t formant, he has defied the administra-
! tion to remove one of them previous to
5 the Kentucky election.
Uncle Sam may have little summer
scrap on his hands, if the threatened
war between Ecqador and Colombia
materializes. Under treaty with the
, latter country the United States has
!, the right to maintain free communica-
/, tion on the Panama railroad, across
+ the isthmus, if Colombia fails TO do SO,
and the New York officers of the Pana-
ma railroad have appealed to this gov
ernment to protect their property,
/. which they say is in danger on account
of the labor troubles on the isthmus,
regardless of how the threatened in
vasion OF Colombia by Ecuador shall
turn out. Secretary Herbert has or
dered vessel to Panama to look out
for and protect American interests.
t The average memory is short. When
: Secretary Olney made public his in
tention to try to reform the U. S. con-
: sular service and to have consuls Sc
: lected because of their fitness for the
position, and not their political pull, =
, few people remembered that q deter
! mined effort in that direction was made
thirty-odd years ago by Secretary Sew
t ard, and that the greediness of the
politicians for patronage caused its
failure. Such is the fact, shown by the
:, records of the state department.. Sec
! rotary Stewards idea was to educate
! the men to be appointed consuls to the
work they we're to do. After getting
f, the necessary congressional legislation
he appointed ten bright young men to
consular clerks, assigning each of them
TO duty in the Office of an important
: European consulate Before his retire
ment from Office he had the satisfac-
tion of seeing his young men full-fiedg-
4 ed Z. S. consuls. He thought the re-
I Fnrp, would I., Int ~ ,,oc,,.t