The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-07-10
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

" A,ulNGTuN, ID. C.. July Is
Mi. nl.:-Promincnt democrats are
scarce in Washington this week Those
who have not gone t. the Chicago con
Ncntion nave gone to some quIctcr place
than " :,siImwInn L. await the news of the
convention : action on the ticket; every
body has about made up their minds what
the platform viii he Secretary Carlisle
is the only member of the cabinet in town.
and. although he must be deeply interested
in the convention. he will not talk about
ii for republication. Secretary Norton stood
the temptation as long as he could, and al
most nj the last minute remembered that
he owed his son, who lives in Chicago, il
visit He is now iii Chicago. OF course
the convention didn't carry him there.
1t would hc i waste of both time and
space to write of the runners now current
IN Washington about what the convention
will and will not do The convention will
speak for Itself this week and when it
speaks il will also speak for the democrat
L. party. 1t has been thlrty-siX years since
there was bolt from the national convcn
tion Of the democratic party, but there are
plenty of men now living who can testify
to the disastrous result of that holt 1t is
not in the nature of things that everybody
can hc pleased with what the convention
does. hut the ma i"ritv must rnir, and the
watchw"rd of every good democrat should
| be, let there he no holting.
Mr. &. +. Leach, a wcll-kn"wn citizen
IF Raleigh, \. e., is now in Washington.
He say, ut The political outlook in his
state: II don't think there is any doubt
that North Carolina will return tn it's old
love and give Il round majority for the
national AMI state democratic tickets. The
coalition between the republicans and
popuilsts has about gone To pieces, and
the nomination of u free silver ticket at
Chicago means the return of thousands Of
popuIstS to the democratic ranks The
state is uvcrwhclmingly for free silver,
and the gold plank in the st. Louis plat
form will lose Mckinley Thousands Of rc
publican votes III the state
En- Con gresham BruokShirr. Of lndl
ana practices law in WaShinyton, but he
keeps tab on things political in his state
ami takes an active part in every campaign
He says of the present campaign: II think
that Indiana will stand by the democratic
party this fall in both state and nation: !
elections In Hon - F. Shivrlv our guhcr
Material candidate. we are especially for
tunatc AS he is one of the ahcSt and best
liked men in the state. He is under forty
wears of are, and while in Congress made
4 most excellent record.
The annual report of Hon W /. Harris,
United States Commissioner IF education,
lust issued. contains some very interesting
figures runrtrnIa. educational progress IN
the south For instance the report says:
In the past twenty years the South has
Increased II per cent. in population. but
its school attendance has increased 1870
per cent more than twice ~ fast rs the
population. In the twenty vars from
1874 to 1891. the value at school property
in the South Increased from $li,oon,nho
To Sj6 400 OuO-an addition of ! IN. odu, 900.
or 81 ,ooo,oo0 year.
There i quite IL conimntlOn III govern
mrnt circles on account of the arrest by
United States Secret Service officers of
Francis Whitcly 4 wealthy manufacturer
| of engraved steel plates. for having 1T
tempted to hrihc Gen. W. W. Dufcid.
Chief of the United States Coast and Coed
| etc Survey hv offcrin" him sum of mon
cv to award the contract for sunplvln" the
steel engraved plates for the maps and
| charts ISSUED 10y the Coast aud Gcndetic
| Survey. Gen. Dutticld is naturally very
| indignant at having been offered bride,
| and his Indignation is shared by other Of
| icials " no consider the offer to have been
| Il reflection on every officials integrity.
Gen nutfiril said on thc subject. This Is
| the first time III my experience that have
| been ln-uitcti in this way. and | wonder
| that man of Mr. Whitciy's prominence
| and wealth should have done such Il thing.
| | never saw him until after received the
| letter otfcrln" me hrihc to award him
| this contract althou rh he has had several
| contracts from the bureau. Mr. Whitley
| does business in New York City hut re
sides iii Newark, y j.
Railroads are sometimes very tricky.
| Postmaster General Wilson has discovered
| that Il number of them have been beating
| Uncle sam out "f postage by "A plan Of
! sending all letters fnl railroad officials by
| baggage masters on mail trains. The at
| tcntinn of the officials of all railroads has
| consequently been called to that clause of
| the United States Revised Statutes which
! torhlds regular post route roads carrying
mail IN any other than regular mail cars,
| except when letters are enclosed in stamp
| ed envelopes. If that doesn't stop the
| scheme some arrests will he made.