The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-04-23
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

his little outing much improved. The
| weather was more or less dlsagreeable
during the entire time he spent on the
Dolphin, but he got what he went
after and what he needed most-rest
He was at his desk today looking
fresher than for several weeks.
Jerry Simpson made an attempt to
prove that he was bigger man than
the entire House, but he only proved
himself monkey. He thought, OF
rather he thought that he thought
that he could compel Speaker Reed to
appoint the Com mittees and the House
to go ahead with miscellaneous busi-
ness, although majority had decided
that the legislation of the extra session
should be confined to passing the left
over appropriation bills and the
tariff bill, both of which the House
has done. Jerry made the point of
"no quorum" to prevent the House
adjourning from Saturday to Wednes-
day, but Speaker Reed had no diff
Guilty in counting a quorum, and
Jerry found himself down while the
House adjourned. Whether he intends
to get himself knocked down every
time the House meets just for the
notoriety there is in it, is yet to be
seen. 1t is evident that Speaker Reed
regards Jerry merely as an amusing
little cuss."
Secretary Alger, under whose direc-
tion the 100000 appropriated last
week by Congress, will be spent for
the relief of sufferers by the floods in
the Mississippi valley, lost no time in
putting the machinery of the War
Department to work in order that
prompt relief might be exterded,
wherever needed. It may be q hard
thing to say but it is strictly true that
the Cleveland administration was re-
sponsible for much of the damage done
by the Mississippi river floods, by the
policy OF delay in spending money ap-
propriated by Congress to strengthen
and raise up the levees along the Mis-
sissippi river at those points where U.
S. Engineer officers had reported the
necessity of su ch work. Reports are
on file in the War Department from
Engineer officers, made after Congress
had appropriated the money, urging
that contracts be made and the work
pushed on these levees, but it was the
Cleveland-Carlisle policy to hold back
appropriations as long aspossible, and
these floods came before the strength
ening of the levees had been completed
"A number of the breaks are at the
points reported weak by the Engineers
and ordered to be strengthened by
Congress. For all the damage done
by these particular breaks, the Cleve-
land administration is clearly respon-
sible.
President McKinley's announced
policy of reinstating all ex-Union
soldiers who were dismissed from
office by the democrats for no other
reason than their politics, is being
carried out in all of the government
departments as fast as the heads of
the departments can get around the
to the cases. In the cases of the chief
of divisions, the democrats are being
given better treatment than they gave
republicans. They are allowed to re-
main in Office, in a lower position, in
stead of being dismissed, as so many
republicans were under the last ad-
ministration.
A republican Senator speaking Of
the talk in regard to the appointment
of Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, to be AS
sistant Secretary of the Navy being
likely to make trouble, said: "Roose-
velt may make trouble in the Navy
Department, but if he does it will be
in the interests of better administra-
ton of its affairs, just as he has made
trouble for the law breakers of New
York city who had long enjoyed police
protection. / notice that in all the
trouble stirred up by Roosevelt, he has
always had the support of those who
believed in showing up and reforming
wrong-doing wherever found, and am
willing to stand behind all the trouble
he makes in the Navy Department"
Mr.. Cleyeland's order reducing the
number of Pension agencies, which
was to 60 into effect on the 1st OF. next
September, will never go into effect
Pension Commissioner Evans has as
certained by investigation that instead
of saving money, as Mr.. Cleveland
claimed, it would cost more to support
the consolidated agencies. He said on
the subject: "While I have no au-
thority to speak for the President,
have excellent reasons for believing
that the order will not go into effect
and that the eighteen pension agencies
will rem ain as they are" Commits
sinnnr Euana also saws that Mr. Gleve.