The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1897-05-07
Washington Letter.

FROM our htB NptiSSpN'''''
WASHINGTON, May 3.-Mr. Mckinley has
fully made up his mind to curtail some of the
extensions of the civil service rules made 10y
Mr.. Cleveland, but he lacks the nerve to do so
until public opinion has been worked up little
on the subject. That is why members of his
cabinet and other prominent officials are max
ing public their opinions against those rules.
OF course everybody understands that the rules
do not keep the present Democratic occupants
of the positions in office but so long as they are
in force they do operate to keep those Repub-
licans who are not already in the government
service out of Office. And that is the milk in
the cocoanut. Promises have been made that
have got to be kept, and the only way to keep
them is to withdraw the civil service rules
from some of these places. Had Mr.. Mckinley
been Il man of backbone he would simply
have rescinded Mr.. Cleveland's orders extend
ing the rules and said no more about it, and
that would have been much more manly way
than this beatinRthe devil around the bush in Or
der to make it appear that the public demands
their abrogation when every body knows that
the public doesn't care continental who fills
the minor offices unuer the government.
The Dingley tariff bill should now be known
as the AllisOn-Aldrich- Platt bill, since those
three Senators have added more than Il thous-
and amendments to the bill, which was today
laid before the full Finance Committee of the
Senate. The amendments have not made the
bill any less objectionable as whole TO Demo-
Gratis, but some OF them have started many Re
publicans to kicking ut a lively rate, but there
ia no likelihood that any of them will kick out
of the party traces.
There hasn't been u determined fight made in
the Senate against any appointment yet made
by Mr.. Mckinley, but if he persists in trying to
make j. W. Lyons, the negro member of the
Republican National Committee from Georgia,
postmaster at Augusta, Ga, there will be a
fight and very bitter one, too. The entire
Georgia Congressional delegation made 'e-
spectful protest against appointing this negro
postmast ut Augusta, taking the ground that
there were plenty of places paying just as well
that could be given him, where the perform
ance OF his official duties would not necessitate
constant irritation Of the entire business inter-
ests of city and the greater part of its popu-
lation-probably nine-teuths of its mail receiv-
ing population. Postmaster General Gary had
given the Georgia delegation to understand
that he was opposed to making this negro post
master ut Augusta, but it seems that the negro,
who was a Mckinley whooper up previous to
the St Louis Convention, had boss Hanna's
positive promise of the postoffice, if Mckinley
was nominated and elected, and that he has re-
fused all offers of other places although some
of them carry more salary and insisted upon
being nominated postmaster at Augusta The
Georgia Senators believe they can defeat his
nomination in the Senate, and it is certain that
they will fight it to the last ditch, and hang it
up if they can't defeat it.
"Oh, its just the regular pendulum swing is
the substance of what members of the admins
tration say when thier attention is called to the
large amount of gold-more than $1,000, 900
engaged last week in New York for shipment
to Europe land it will all come back again in
the fall to pay for our crops" They may be
right, but those with good memories have not
forgotten that Secretary Carlisle and his assist
ants talked the same way i'll 1911, when nearly
STOP, 900 900, in gold went to Europe, and in
1895 when the value exported II limo t reached
SlO5, 90 5000, and again in 1906, when it went
close to S57 .OOo, 900, and they know that this
gold was only brought back by issuing S26l,-
600 900 in United States bonds. Mr.. Mckinley
has SAID that he would not issuing bonds, but
he has also said that Mr.. Cleveland did right in
issuing them when the continued demand for
gold caused the gold reserve in the United
Stated Treasury to fall below the arbitr. ry
limit set without any legal authority by John
Sherman when he was Secretary of the Treas
ury Every body hopes that this gold raid is
not made by the New York and London money
changers to force another issue of bonds, but
that doesn't keep people from wondering " hat
MI. Mckinley would do, should it turn out
that way.
Democratic employees of the Treasury De-
partment who are not so un>ophisticated as to
expect to be protected by the civil service com
mission preparing TO get il III the neck.
committee has been appointed to investigate
all the bureaus of the Treasury Department,
and to report plan OF reorganization that will
enable the most efficient employees to get the
largest salaries That sounds all right, doesn't
it? But every wide awake Democrat knows
that the plan reported will give the biggest
salaries to the Republicans, and is preparing to
take his dose of reduction with rs good grace
as he can, if he isn't in position to show his
disgust by resigning when the reorganization
is made.