Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-03-20
Scraps aud &aets.

to the fact that there is no authority
in law for the appointment of military
cadets by congressman. That power
belongs to the president, but he re-
quests the congressman to make the
nominations for their respective dis
tricts, and habitually confirms them,
thus waving the prerogative which
the law gives. With naval cadets it is
different, the congressman have legal
right to select them. As matter of
fact, however, the most of these nomi-
nations are now awarded after compet-
tive examinations, and the brightest
boys get them on their own merits.
- New York World: There are 90
senator's. They have 35S employees
to wait upon them at cost of about
1882, 900 a year. That is to say each
senator, besides his salary of $1,000 a
year, must have attendance costing
1886 a year. There are 121 clerks
to committees, etc., in body number
ing only 80 persons. There are So
iaborers, though nobody can imagine
what labor they perform. There are
Is policemen, though the, senate end Of
the capitol is fully guarded by the
capitol police. Senator Chandler has
rendered a public service by calling
attention to this monstrous extrava.
gance. 1t is an abuse of large proper
tions, and it is made worse by the fact
that most of the money is paid to per-
sons near to the senators themselves
for purely nominal services. In other
words, the senators are quartering
their families and dependents upon the
country at an annual expense of near
ly half a million dollars to the tax
payers. The exposure ought to compel
q reform.
Il A party of racetrack swindlers
managed to make big haul on last
Saturday with the assistance of dis
honest telegraph operator who was in
the conspiracy. The whole thing had
been fixed up carefully beforehand.
During the day preceding the race,
which took place in New Orleans,
large sums of money were sent from
Chicago and New Orleans to the pool
rooms in the various Intervening
cities, with instructions to bet on the
mare Royal Nettie. In most cases the
odds were IL to against this horse.
The gamblers, however, put up thou
sands of dollars on her. When the
races were over, the telegraph flashed
the news that Royal Nettie had won.
The bookmakers promptly paid their
losses, and shortly afterward it devel-
oped that the telegraphic news was
false. Instead of Royal Nettie win
ming, the winner was a horse named
Plug. None of the parties to whom
the bookmakers had paid the money
could be found, and it soon developed
that the whole thing was big conspir-
acy, successfully worked, and the ly-
ing telegraph operator, who has since
disappeared, was one of the con-
spirators.
- Two Spanish columns fought each
other by mistake in Cuba the other
day. It seems that the insurgents
made an attack on plantation near
Havana and set the cane6elds on fire.
Seeing the smoke, and realizing what
it meant, a column of troops went out
from Havana after the insurgents.
The insurgents, however, being in
small force had left the vicinity as
soon as they had accomplished their
mission. 1t was late in the day and
the Spaniards went into camp. In the
meantime another Spanish column
had started out from another quarter
with the same object as the first; but
without knowledge that the first had
gone. When the second column came
up the camp fires of the first were
burning brightly. By their light the
second column was guided to the spot.
The sentry of the first column chal-
lenged. The soldiers in the second
column mistook the challenge for
signal from the enemy and charged
the camp. The soldiers in camp fired
a volley or two and the fighting con-
tinued for sometime before the mistake
was discovered. Forly-four Spaniards
were killed and wounded during the
scrap.
Senator Pugh, of Alabama, is 70
years of age and is still a fighter. He
punched the nose of Don M. Dickinson,
in Washington, on Tuesday. Dickin-
son, it will be remembered, is personal
friend of Mr.. Cleveland. He was in
Washington the other day doing some
missionary work in behalf of the gold
standard. He had never met Senator
Pugh. The two men happened to be
in a restaurant at the same time and n
mutual acquaintance introduced them,
Before the conversation went very far.
Dickinson uttered some sighting re-
mark that included the words, 'con-
tempt for free silver Democrats" On
the instant that the words were spoken
Senator Pugh's fist shot out from the
right shoulder and landed on the point
of Dickinson's nose. Dickinson reeled
from the effects of the blow and Pugh
started for him again; but was caught
by the bystanders. After it was all
over, Dickinson took occasion to apol-
ogize. Pugh accepted the apology !;
but said that he would take pleasure in
doing the same thing under the same