Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-07-29
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Is ssoIAL ooRREsPo> DENCE OF THE MONITOR.
Washington, July ,22 1895.

full, but the power exercised by then
over the expenditures of their respec-
tive nations was not greater than that
now claimed for a subordinate officia
of the Z. S. Treasury. According to
this claim, the Comptroller has the
authority to refuse payment of ap-
preparations made by Congress and
approved by the President, whenever
he believes, or makes a pretense OF
believing, that said payment would
be unconstitutional, and the claimant
has no redress 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 a
voucher for about 1000, in favor of
the Oxnard Company, of Nebraska,
manufacturers of beet sugar, was held
up by the comptroller, and the com
pany notified that the Comptroller
would hear argument as to the con-
stitutionality of the Act of Congress
appropriating S236, 900 to pay the
bounty on beet sugar manufactured
before the repeal of the bounty clause
of the Mckinley law. The Comp
troller says he believes the sugar
bounty law to have been unconstitu-
tional. which is a little queer, IN
view of his having allowed S12,-
OOO, 900 or Whereabouts, to be paid out
under that law during the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1894, without a pro-
test. The real facts in this business
are we'll known. Comptroller Bowler
is merely figure head, who repeats
his lesson lust as it is taught to him.
In addition to the money appropriate
ed for the beet sugar makers, there
was So, 600, 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 Republican Congress shall
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, &C
cording to current report, to be used
to defer payment on the contract
made with the international Steam
ship Company for the transportation
of mails to Europe. This contract
was made by Mr.. Wanamaker, when
he was Postmaster General, under an
Act of Congress, and includes the use
of the steamships owned by the
Company as government cruisers in
time of war.
That mysterious Cabinet meeting
has naturally been the subject Of
much gossip and numberless rumors.
That the Spanish minister, who came
to Washington about the same time
that Secret airy Olney did, if he did not
accompany him, was the cause of this
Cabinet meeting is certain, aud that
it discussed the Cuban revolution.
All else is conjecture, owing to the air
of mystery with which those who at
tended the meeting have since sur
rounded themselves, although it is
difficult to imagine any good reason
why there should be any secrecy as
to the position this government oc-
cupies toward Spain or the revolving
Cubans. Rumor says the Spanish |!
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, with |
out tackling the editors of the coun-
try, although Secretary Olney is
probably fully in accord with the
idea of press censorship.
The Populists are much chagrined
over the latest phase of the reorgan-
ization of the Senate at the beginning
of the coming session of Congress.
They have been confidently counting
upon being asked to join the republi
cans in the reorganization and, of
course, receiving a liberal share of
the Committee chairmanshiDs and of
the Senate patronage. 1t has lately
come out that many of the Repub-
lican Senators would much rather not
the Senate than do it with
the assistance of the Populists This
wasn't pleasing to the democrats, who
do not wish to retain control of the
committees, without the power to
control votes enough to carry any
thing through, land some of them have
intimated to the Republicans their
willingness to vote for reorganiza
ton that will divide the chairman