The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-12-24

From our regular correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-Mr. Mckinley has
surrendered to the Anti-civil service wing of the
Republican party, and has promised TO remove
the bars to some thousands of offices by issuing
an executive order annullinga large portion OF
the extensions of the civil service rules made
by Mr.. Cleveland. This is just what was eX-
pected when the ants developed SO much
strength in the House. Mr.. Mckinley has al
ways deferred his own opinions to those OF
what he considered the controlling element i'll
his party. He couldn't stand the threats that
were made to him by both Senators and Rep
resentatives of what would happen in Congress
after the recass, if he didn't open some Of the
offices to hungry Republicans.
A glance at what was accomplished during
t &c two weeks that Congress was in session, Ds
foe adjouring to January 9TH, shows that the
Republican talk about rushing THINGS at this
session was only talk.
Mr.. Nathan b. Scott, of West Virginia, mus
have undergone a radical change since last
spring, when he announced publicly that 1t
would not accept the position of Commissioner
of Internal Revenue, unless the Deputy Co.
lectors, Gaugers, &c, were taken from under
the civil service rules. As no change has been
been promised, and the nomination Of Mr..
Scott to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue
was among those sent to the Senate just befOr
adjournment tor the holiday recess, it is natural
to presume that Mr.. SCOTS mind did the chang
ing.
Hon. a. p. Greeley, Acting Commissioner of
Patents, who has been Instrumental in Riding
the patent bar of its most notorious crooks, is
now cunning for some OF the minor crooks
those men. claiming to be patent attorneys,
who induce inventors to pay them to secure
foreign patents on their inventions by making
them believe that the foreign patents can be
sold as soon as obtained, when they know alb
solutely that any foreign patent granted on
the invention would be invalid and unsaleube.
The National Board OF Trade, which held it,
annual meeting in Washington, after telling
Congress just what its duties were toward every
imaginable sort of legislation, Endorsed the
work of the little Monetary Commission" be-
fore knowing what that work was, mark of
confidence, which neither Congress nor the
people will repeat when the wonderful financial
bill, brought forth 10y the Commission" is laid
before Congress. The "Commission'' has COM
pleted its work-t was really com pleted before
they met-and adjourned sine die, after calling
convention in that city on January %. But
the wildly impatie 1t public is not to be kept
waiting until then to learn the exact nature of
this great work of finance; members of the
Commission" say it will be ready for introduce
ton in Congress when that body reaSseubles
January 9TH. Meanwhile the substance of the
bill may be found by the curious IN the bll.
submitted to the House Committee on'Bauking
and Currency by secretary Gage.
Some things are funny enough to make Il
horse laugh. For instance, at almost the pre-
else moment that Senat II Chandle Ter WAS solemn
~ protesting in the senate against Senator
stewards assertion that the administration OF
Mr.. Mckinley was for the single gold standard,
secretary Gage was telliag the House Commit
tee on Banking and Currency that the admins
tration was in favor of the maintenance of the
present gold standard at all hazards.
1t seems bit strange that what is likely to
prove to be the most far-reaching legislation OF
Congress, previous to the Holiday recess, or
for that matter, of the entire session, should
have been entirely overlooked by all of tn,
eagle eyed newspaper correspondents, rs well
by about nine out of every ten Senators and
Representatives until the bill containing it had
been passed by the Senate and House and Sent
to Mr.. Mckinley for his signature, which it, OF
course, will get, as it is an administration
scheme to try to make up for the utter failure
of Mr.. John w. Fosters efforts to get England
and Canada to agree to stop pelagic sealing in
the Pacific. The bill purported to be merely
measure to stop pelagic sealing by American
citizens, and as such, received little attention
but it stops much more than that. 1t stops the
greater portion of the mammoth income of the
49,.