The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1895-03-29
ashingtnn Letter.

Washlr.,un. ID. c.. March. -. 1898 - |
Instead of being criticised for having /
asked for the recall of the present Ha !
waiiau minister to the United states. |
President Cleveland and Secretary GreSh
an, are deserving OF much credit for
their forbearance IL allowing him to re-
main here rs long as they have. 1t X
doubtful whether there Is another cOun-
trv in the world that would have allowed
this man to have remained under the
1t was notorious during
the last session of congress that minister
ThUrStnn not only furnished the oppo
nents OF the administration with amunI~
ton TO fight the Hawaiian policy OF the
administration. both in and ont Of con
gress, but actually became lobbyist
against that policy himself. These facts
are recognized by Republicans rs well as
Democrats. Senator Hale, of Maine,
who has been from the first a rabld Ha-
waiian anueXatiouISt, said of the request
for Thurston's recall: Il have no IN
side or exclusive information, but the
published reports say that Mr.. Thurs
tons recall has been asked because he
made public diplomatic correspondence
=
If this is correct he was clearly in the
wrong and could not expect that the
secretary would do otherwise than ask
for his recall. IL was clearly breach
of official etiquette. and Is "A practice
which this country cannot afford to en-
courage There might be times when
such a course would lead to Seuods con
sequences, and if matters of iuternatIOn-
al importance are to be 80 treated 10y the
representatives, Of foreign governments
we might as well have no state depart
ment There are reasons for the belief
that Mr.. ThurSton never would have
been received as the minister Of the Ha-
waiian republic had it not been that Op
ponents of the administration would
have charged a refusal to receive him to
prejudice against the government ne
represented. He made himself Ohjcc-
tionabe when he was one of the anneNa-
ton commissioners, before he became
minister.
Administration birthdays fall close to
gether, at least. four of them do. Pres
ident Cleveland WAS fifty eight last Mon
| day. Secretary Gresham sixty three last
Sunday (St. Patrick day Secretary Her
bert sixty-one last Tuesday a week ago
March 12). and Secretary Morton will
be sixty-three April 9th. Secretary La
mont might also be added to the group,
| as he celebrated his forty-fourth birth
/ day on the 9th OF February.
Postmaster General BiSsell says he IS
/ working now Just because he prefers
/ work to idleness. Everything about the
postofiice department Is in good shape,
| and the department could easily be run
| bv the assistants until Postmaster Gen
| eral Wilson gets ready To take charge.
/ but Mr. BisSell would have to remain in
/ Washington for some because the lease
| on his Washington house does not ex
/ pire for more than a month yet he can
| not get possession of his Buffalo resi-
| deuce until about the same time. owing
! to its having been leased to a ifriend, so
| he prefers to remain in charge of the de
| partment 1t would seem that Mr. Bis
| sell 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 tine
| Republican members of the house of the
fifty-fourth congress. Just before the
| adjournment Of congress the 90 Republi-
/
elected held a secret caucus and decided
that all of the important committee
chairmanships should be given to them
also that they should control all Of tn,
house patronage. The secret was no
well kept, and when the new member
heard about it they were naturally dis
pleased. y count OF noses shows tina
there are 135 new Republican members
elect of the next house, and. according
to statements made 10y some of them
they propose to band themselves togeth
er for the purpose of thwartIng tn
scheme of the old members to mOnOpC
lie everything in sight. and 1t Is sal,
that some of them wish to push thei
, power to the extent Of electing one G
their number speaker, instead OF Nj
Reed, because Of his having endorse
the proposed grab game of the old men
= berS. The new members have the pow
er to do what they please when it come
, to organizing the next house, but it T,
mains to be seen whether they hay
nerve enough to exercise their power.
None of he diplomatic complication
I have been entirely settled-thlngs moN
I slowly in the diplomatic wOrld-but the
. are all in course of settlement on b
sis entirely satisfactory to the admin
tration. except those arising from di
ordinations against American produc
! by certain European countries; they a
+ still in the unClaSsable stage. VI.