The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-11
Gossip at
the Capital

low metal was Withdrawn from the sub
treasury Mt New York for shipment on
the following day. Up TO the present time
thcre have been about S7,JO0,OO0 gone out,
the Withdrawals Of last Friday amounting
to $1,000, 900 of this amount. There Is moth.
ing alarming about the outflow of gold at
this time. There is always an outward
movement in the spring. Sometimes the
shipments are heavy sometimes light.
The movement began much later this
year than it otter does, so that the total
shipments will be light as compared with
some other years. Spring Is the season
of iHpOrtatiOns when we have to settle
our balances abroad in gold. This is tine
chief reason for the outflow of gold i'm the
spring. In the fall we export vast guam
titles Of foodstuffs and cotton, So that the
balances ale in our favor and gold comes
to us.
The longest continuous period Of the
outflow Of go!d was from January, 1892,
to the end of June 1898 This was in the
closing months Cf the purchase Of silver
under the Sherman act. Had these pur-
chasos beer continued the United states
would have been utterly without gold
long since. Fortunately. through the Wig
orous measures taken by President Cleve-
land, the purchasing clause Of the Shcr-
man act was, after prolonged struggle,
unconditioral;y repealed. There have
been other outward movements of gold
which have lasted for an unusual length
of time since then, the longest being
from the end of November, 1898, to Aug
ust, 1894. In January Of last year $1,000
600 was exported in the early part Of the
month only TO be returned to us in the
closing days thereof. The real outward
movement of last year began i'm April, as
1t has done this year, and continued into
July, when it ceased. Since the end
of gold has been steadily in our
favor, and even with the shipments of
the past two weeks the net result for this
period remain favorable to us. There are
n number of reasons why gold should
flow outward in the early months of the
year Not only is it the importing time
of the year, but it is during those months
that the largest number Of Americans go
abroad for the summer on business or
pleasure. OF course Whatever money they
take with them and whatever money IT,
remitted to them abroad for their oXpens-
es or purchases must be in gold. There
is, too, considerable constant drain of
gold from this country TO pay the rental
of property in this country owned abroad,
dividends on stocks, and interest on bonds
and other forms of Indebtedness held
abroad. The amount used for these pur-
poses, however, Is comparatively small,
though they help during the importing
period to accelerate the outward move
ment
The treasury officials are not even anx-
ious over the situation. It is a movement
they look for in the spring with the same
though not precisely with the
same emotions, as the Egyptian looks for
the annual rise in the waters of the Nile.
They do not believe that the total outflow
Of gold this year will be sufficiently heavy
to effect in any material degree the gov
ernmental finances. OF course importa-
tions made at this time in anticipation of
the enactment of the Dingley bill assist
in aCCcleratng the movement but even
here the aCceleraton has been less than
was anticipated. The treasury is in a
healthful condition and in so far as II is
a barometer Of the business Of the Coun-
try indicates the coming of renewed vigor
to the trade and commerce OF the coun-
try, including its agricultural and manu-
featuring interests.
Congressman DOrr, of the Charleston
(W. Na) district, is a new story-teller in
congress. He was asked by one of party
composed of Speaker Reed, General Gros-
venor, whose ant-civil service play Dorr
backs; Governor Sayers, of Texas, and
some others what shape the Republican
party of West Virginia is in. The story
that follows is his reply:
Down near the little town of Owings-
vile, Berth county, Ky, where | visited
occasionally some years ago, there lived
a man named Sam Hatton. Hatton ana
his family existed on a scrub lO-acre farm
near OwingsVille which produced very
fine dog fcnnell and elderherrles, but
nothing better. At least Hatton never got
anything better out OF il. As a conse-
qucnce 1t was frequently the charity of
kindly disposed neighbors that kept him
and his family from absolute want,
Among the contributions they received at
intervals was hog Jows which Preacher
Matt Mcdaniel, a neighbor, sent over at
hog killing time.
"Flatton mad been a Union soldier and
for years had on file at the Pension Office
here an application for a pension. One
day there was a Cummotion i'm the Hat
ton family II was caused by the arrival
from Washington of q bulky envelope
which contained a communication from
the commissioner Of pensions notifying
Hatton that he had been granted a pc
sion, back pay for the present, and a
stipcnd OF IS per month for the
future. When he came out of his trance
Hatton went to Owingsyille and proceeded
to stock his larder in shape. A few days
after he had received his pension money
he met Preacher Mcdaniel.
:" Mr.. Hatton,' said Mcdaniel, we have
just finished hog killing over at my place
ana in my smoke house are several fine
hog iowls, which l hope you ana your
worthy family will enjoy
" Thankoe, Mr.. Mcdaniel said Hatton,
'thankee, pow'rful sir. Time
was when the Hattons sot conslibul store
by sich trimmins, but they're a'settin fur
ther back on the hog than the jowl now
And that said Dorr ''is the way with
the Republican party In West Virginia.
It's done with the FOWL end Of the poiiti-
cal hog"
There Is general rejoicing here at the
news that General Henderson, of Iowa, is
I'm a fair way to recover from the attack
which Is due to his famous game Leg"
as the general himself CANS It, and that
he will soon return to the capital, albeit
he Is to undergo another amputatlon OF
that member, 1t Is but two or three years
since a chunk of the end OF the stump that
was left by the Confederates was cut
away, and that was the third amputation
The coming one will be the fourth, but the
general has a powerful physique and may
be expected 10 pull through safely. Hen
derson is one of the ablest and most popu-
Tar members Of the house, and few would
be missed so much II he should be COM
PEELED to abandon public work.
There Is deal of amusement here on ac-
count of the reported advice given by eX-
Senator PETER, Of Kansas, that the
Il. L..