The times., 1897-12-26

There is bcginnisg Go sc some unmistak
| able evidences Of a want of fharmonyamong
| Indiana Republicans, ! Republican con
ference ha been called to meet in Indian
apolis Tuesday of -this-.week. and it is 20
important that Scuat tur-F airbanks and the
Indiana delegation witfattend. tits intended
| to be the commencement { of a boom for a &C
end term for Mex inIey and the suppression
of an incipient Harrison movement that has
recently ,iey eIoped.i meeting Of tie In
diana delegation was held one night last
| week at The residence OF Congressman Over
street 1t was attended also by eye cry i'm
portant Federal official in washin gton
| who comes from indiana. At this meeting
program was arranged and the details
worked out with respect to what shall
be said and done al the coming conference.
There is no doubt but that the program
will he sa satisfactory to the President, for
il was submitted to him, and received his
seal OF arpro val before being sent out
20 the State leaders. Ex-Presideut Har
| risoG. who would naturally be expected
ia be present at any conference Of Indiana
Republict rs. has not been invited, nor
have any OF the ruen who were actively
identified with his administration, or
who are now his personal friends. II is
said tat tn. IA ilure to invite Mr.. uar-
rison has been accepted by his friends
as personal affront.
Mr.. Harrison himself does not talk about
il further tlIan to say that he has no;
received an invitation to attend any con
ference OF Indiana Republicans. Having
thus put all indlgnity upon the former
leader it will probably be accepted as
challenge andsyery move henceforth made
looking 10 tie firuer establishment of the
Mckinley machine Will be carefully
watched by the Harrison crowd. Tie
power of that faction ought not to be
uuderest mated by the Administr alton.
Members OF Congress who have been
here through several terms do not believe
the proposed plan of publishing a full list
of the pensioners viii reach the evil that
is sought to be eradicateu. A bout dozen
years age there was a great hue and outcrv
over alleged pension frauds, and after
some debate Congress finally ordered the
pension list Published. 1t was argued
in the discussion that this publicity would
enable the public to detect cases sup
posed to he fraudulent and bring them
to the attention of the authorities.
After Tie published list had been in
the hands OF the public for some time
Congressional, investigation was set on
foot and considerably less than 100 cas- Us
were discoy eretl. The amount saved to
the Government did not approximate tie
expense attached to the discovery of the
cases, and members OF Congress say the
same thing will now result if the rf-
fort is again made. What seems to be
neede more than an ything else is remedial
Legislation laws that Will stop tue pres
ent leaks, through which the Treasury is
drained OF millions Of dollars every year
The Commissioner of Pensions himself
says that il is impossible to stop t.laye
leaks unless tie laws are changed: that
the department is at the mercy of panSic0
attorneys, who annually force the depa rt-
ment to pay hundreds of thousa ads of
dollars 1egitimateiy, but uniuStly, and
all beca use, underl the loose wording of
the statutes. this sort of thing cannot
be stopped. Some2radieaI pension legisId
ton is needed, and some members hope 20
be able to get it through during this ses-
sion. II