Middletown transcript., 1897-01-30
Our Wonan's
.....Column

NJ lea, and sent to
the Senate by Secretary Olney, John
Bull has made break by showing his
hand too soon. or course the protest
by showing that the government ofNic-
aragua already regards the Canal COM
pany as having forfeited all the con-
cessions granted it by that government
will kill the present Nicaragua Cana
Bill, but it will also go much further,
II may kill the arbitration treaty re.
Gently negotiated between the United
States and Great Britian. It has been
openly charged on the floor Of the Sem
ate that English diplomacy was work
ing through the combination Of those
three little Central American Republics
to put England in position where it
could either control or have share in
controlling the Nicaragua ship canal.
This may or may not be true, but so
long as there are grounds for suspic-
ion there will be dadger that the
arbitration treaty will be re
jected by the Senate. If there is on
policy upon which the Senate is prac-
ticalIy unit, it is that the Nicaragua
Canal shall, if ever completed. be con-
trolled by the United States, and if it
be shown that this question might have
to be submitted to arbitration with
the casting vote, in the hands of Eu-
ropean monarch, then goodbye to the
arbitration treaty. The Senators who
have openly protested against the pub
Tic cIamor for Immediate ratification
of the treaty, on the ground that it
was too important a matter to be hur-
riedly acted upon, regard this Nicar-
aqua canal incident as a vindication of
their position. Secretary Olney, how
ever, doesn't take that view of it, and
would not have been so prompt in
sending that protest to the Senate had
be supposed that it would cause addi
tional delay in acting on the treaty.
So me of his colleagues are inclined
to poke fun at Senator PETER because
of the petition from Kansas populists
against increasing the salaries of Sem
ators and Representatives and extend
ing the term Of the President, he has
presented since he was defeated, and
an x-Confederate elected to be his
successor. There isn't the slightest
probability that the bill to increase the
salaries of Senators and Representa-.
tives will even be seriously considered
but Senator PETER is jocularly accused
of holding back those petitions until he
knew he would have to leave the Sem
ate.
The refusal to appoint woman to
vacant $500 clerkship in the War de-
for which she had passed a
very difficult examination and was the
only one eligible under Civil Service
rules, is likely to be made the subject
of a Congressional investigation. The
examination required that the apple
cant should be able to translate into
English military works in French,
German, italian and Spanish; to do
typewriting in all of these languages;
to do proof-reading and prepare manu-
script for the press, to be familiar with
library methods ,cataloguing, indexing,
etc. also to be tested in the use Of the
English language and literary compo-
sition. Miss Maud Stalnaker, of
Washington, D. G., was the only one
who was able to pass the examination,
but the War department. refuses to ap-
point her to the position becauoe she
is woman.
So much has been written about the
lack Of dignity on the part of ex-Rep-
resentative "Billy'' Mason, of ILL.,.
who was last week named by the legis-
lature as Senator Palmer's successor,
that his friends are rightfully begin
ming to protest. Mr.. Mason is popu-
lar in Washington. He is man Of
Iine instincts, and it is merely his love
for good story and hearty laugh,
traits Of Lincoln, that have caused him
to be called undignihed. 0ne Of the
Illinois Representatives gives this pic
ture OF him that viii be at once recogl
nized BY all who knew him: " He is
one Of the readIest gentlemen ever
knew to do favor for : friend.