The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-05-08
W ashingtOn Letter.
From orr regular Correspondent.

| he returned from his Western trip
He actually believes that his chance
for being nominated for President by
the Chicago Convention on free sill
yer platform is a good one, and he says
there is no longer the slightest doubt
that the silver democrats will control
that convention. He thinks that
Western tour has made him so solid
with the democrats of that section
that he is now planning for Southern
speech making trip which will take in
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia
Mississippi and Texas. When Till
mans aspirations for the democratic
Presidential nomination were first talk
ed about the Cleveland democrats re-
garded it as a joke, but they don't
now. Just so were the Cleveland
democrats at first disposed to pooh the
idea OF the silver democrats controlling
the Chicago convention. Today most
OF them admit the probability that a
majority OF the Chicago convention
will be silver men, but say they rely
upon the influences which men like
Senator Brice and exSecretary Whit
ney can bring to bear upon them after
they get to the convention to prevent
the adoption of radical silver plat
form Or the nomination of a silver
man.
The Senate is now working under
an understanding that nothing import
ant shall be taken up until all of the
Appropriation bills are disposed of,
and some think that adjournment is
probable on or about May 16, the date
suggested at a recent conference or re-
publican senators, but everybody
recognizes that there can be nothing
certain about it until a Joint resolution
naming the day for adjournment has
been actually adopted by the Senate.
The House is all right and will prompt
ly agree to any date set by the Senate,
and will wait for the Senate to take
the initiative.
Numerous Congressman breathed
easier when the announcement was
made that the Venezuelan Boundary
Commission had decided to send to
The Hague for the purpose of having
an expert examination made of the
original Dutch documents in the
Royal Archives, which bear upon the
Venezuelan Boundary question. It
had been rumored that the Commits
sion had practically finished it's work
and would make its report to the
President in short time, and it was
feared that if the report was made be-
fore Congress adjourned, it would re-
suit in an indefinite prolongation of
the session. But it's not known tina
the ommission cannot complete it's
work until those old Dutch documents
have been carefully gone over, and
possibly others at Madrid, which
makes it certain that the report will
not be made before next winter.
The idea that the Raines Excise
law. passed by the New York Republi-
can Legislature, was going to I'M jure
the republican party OF that state is
no longer held even by democrats, on
the contrary it is going To strengthen
the republicans. Here is the opinion
of Judge G. w. Meade, for some years
police Judge in New York City, who
is now visiting Washington: cat
first it looked as though the Raines
law would be so distasteful to the
public that the republican party would
be made to suffer for its enactment.
But there has been great change of
public sentiment; the people are be-
ginning to realize the many good
points of the law, and I am satisfied
that the republicans will reap the
benefit from it instead of disaster. It
is about as good statute as the IN
genuity of man could contrive; il
wipes out the dives where the poorer
classes loaf and squander their earn.
ings; it puts the business Of selling
liquor on the best possible plane by
putting it in the hands of responsible
men, and'it does away with the cor
ruption and blackmail of the old
| regime"
| This administration makes rec.
ord for partiality and prejudice in
everything it touches. For the second
time a board of his brother officers
have submitted report to the War
Department declaring Lieut.. Schofeld,
son of Gen. Schofeld, to be unfit fo1
promotion, on account of his being
very deaf-surely a good enough rea-
son. But for the second time, Secre-
tary Lamont has disapproved the
finding of the Military Examining
board, and has now directed that
Lieut. Schofeld be re-examined for
promotion within six months. The