The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-03-26
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, March a

secretary SmlthS exercising his
discretion about opening to public
settlement some 100000 acres of
land which was part Of an Indian
reservation in Utah was the cause of
his being abused to considerable
extent on the floor of the Senate this
week. These lands contain valuable
deposits of asphalt enough it is said
to supply the demand for the entire
country for years to come--and Sena-
Tor Gordon stated in reply to the
criticism of Secretary Smith for not
opening the lands to the public that
it was only because the Secretary
wished to protect the interests of the
governor against rapacious persons
and corporations seeking to control
these deposits, and because he believ-
ed that the government ought to re-
ceive some benefit, either by royalty
or otherwise for these mineral de-
posts that he had not opened the
lands to settlement. Senator Villas,
who became familiar with the subject
while he was Secretary of the Interior,
also defended the policy adopted by
Secretary Smith. Senator Vest Join
ed the republicans in crticising Sec
retary Smith.
If the republicans of the House
were not made ashamed of themselves
by Representative McCreary's speech
against the adoption of the resolutions
censuring Ambassador Bayard, which
he declared were prompted by pre-
judice and partisanship," they are not
constituted as other men are. OF
course Mr.. McCreary had no idea of
preventing the action which he knew
had been fully determined upon be-
fore the resolutions were reported to
the House, but he had the satisfaction
of showing the action up in all its
littleness and narrowness.
The Cuban resolutions are Just
where they were week ago. The
attempt TO have them returned to
conference in order that objections
raised by Senators Hill, Hawley and
others might be met by changing
them was defeated at last weeks
meeting of the Senate committee on
Foreign Relations.
President Cleveland celebrated his
fifty-ninth birthday on Wednesday,
the 18th inst.
Ex-Gov. Campbell of Ohio, who
has been in Washington for several
days, puts a positive end to talk
about his being the Presidential can
didate of the party by declaring that
he will under no circumstances allow
his name to go before the Chicago
convention. He thus added force to
the advice he gives the democratic
party in relation to the coming Ma
tional convention. He says: "Every
man who goes to the convention as
delegate should go pledged to sup,
port the candidate and accept the
platform of that convention. No mat
ter who may be named to make the
canvass no matter what the plat
form may contain, they should be ac-
cepted, and the only hope of party
continuation lies in their acceptance.
A delegate who goes to Chicago with
the intention to stay if the majority
agree with him and accept his candid
ate or make his platform, whether on
finance, tariff, or what else who
means to bolt if his notion of men
and measures is voted down, is a
traitor in advance. He has no bust
ness in the convention. He should
stay at home"
1t was made perfectly clear at this
weeks meeting of the House commit
tee on Naval Affairs that the demo
Gratis favor larger increase in our
navy than the republicans do. The
democrats on the committee, led by
Amos Cummings, who was chairman
of the committee in the last House,
wanted to provide for the building of
six battleships and IS torpedo boats,
but the most they could get the re-
publican majority of the committee
to agree to was four battleships and
IS torpedo boats.
1t is denied that the dinner and re-
ception given by the British Ambassa-
dor last week in honor of Secretary
and Mrs. Olney had any international
political meaning, and stated that il
was one of the regular entertainments
which had to be given later thar
usual on account of the Embassy hav
ing had to go into official mourning
for the death of Queen Victoria's
son-in.law.
Representative Grosvenor, of Ohio,
is recognized as one of the leading
Mckinley men in the House, and II
may be mentioned in passing that
Grosvenor also has a record as a