Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-04-15
WASHINGTON LETTER
lrrom Our Regular corrsspoadsall



lFrom Our Regular Cousspoudsntl
WAsHNoroN, April eth, 1857.
President Mckinley made new
friends both BY his promptness In
recommending In . special message
to congress that an appropriation be
made for the relief OF the food suf-
erers, and by his following 1t up with
the announcement that, although all
arrangements had been made for his
departure from Washington, in order
to get several days needed rest, he
would not leave until Congress acted
upon his recommendation. The
promptness Of Congress In adopting
unanimously in both branches q
joint resolution appropristing $780,
900 for the relief of the sufferers
from the floods on the Mississippi and
its tributaries, and the Red
River of the North, enabled the
President to get away on the day
planned. This was highly creditable
of Congress, but detracted nothing
from the credit due President Nc
Kinley for having said that he would
not leave Washington until he had
signed the resolution making an ap-
preparation for the flood sufferers.
Speaker Reed took occasion during
the short time the House was in
session, on Wednesday, to answer
some Of the criticisms of his failure
to appoint the House Committees,
excepting those necessary to trans
act the business for which the extra
session was called. After calling at
tention to there being $50 new mem
bers In the House, and the time
needed to know them well enough to
Judge their capacities for com mittee
service, he said, that the late James
G. Blaine, when Speaker of the
House, had under similar circum-
stances deferred selecting the CON-
mittees. Referring to the charge
that he was exceeding his authority,
Mr.. Reed said: "If the House thinks,
that any occupant of the chair is not
carrying out It's wishes, is not acting
as its representative, the remedy is
In the hands of the House at any
time, and the chair welcomes any
action on the part of the House,
whose representative he is" That
was manful and businesslike, aud it
aroused much enthusiasm on the re-
publican side of the House.
Senator Hanna is not disposed to |
interfere with the pleasure the dem
ocrats are pretending to feel because
a few municipal electians In Ohio |
have been carried by democrats.
Speaking on the subject he said:
There was really nothing significant
In the election at I'LL. The questions
at issue were purely municipal and
not national. 1t is quite the thing
for Ohio to swing from one side to
the other in these local elections,
and history has repeated itself. That
Is all If a national campaign should
occur to morrow, Ohio would be in
the republican column. Lam quite
sure that the result will have no ef-
feet on the election of a legislative |
ticket next fall"
The friends of Maj. Benjamin But
and that means everybody
who knows him, who has agaic been
and confirmed as Com
missioner of Patents, position he
20 ably filled under the Arthur ad-
ninistration, are generally Of the
opinion, that 1t is the administration
Ind those who have business with
,he Patent Office, and not Maj. But
'erworth, who should be congratu-
ated. The Office of Commissioner of
If Patents has never been filed by as
big man, from all points of. view,
IS Maj. Butterworth is, and by this
statement of fact / mean no dis
paragement Of the other gentlemen
who have held the office; and it
would not be surprising, IL the
'umor, that President Mckinley in
lends to call him up higher" after
ne has reformed some abuses con-
lected with the practice of disrepu-
liable patent attorneys, should turn
'ut to be true. Maj. Butterworth's
brilliant record as a soldier, states
nan and lawyer Is too widely known
10 need repetition by me.
Lawyers can seldom be persuaded
70 express opinions for publication of
speeches made in court by other
members of the legal profession, but
t IS evident that Mr.. Bryan's argu-
nent before the Supreme Court this
week, In the Nebraska railroad cases,
lid not make good impression upon
lawyers, however well it might have
sounded as a speech at a democratic