The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-03-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON, March 10, Il

the third time been elected Speaker of the
House. position which, in honor and in
huence is second only to that of the PresiG-
ency. There was no opposition in the Re-
publican caucus to the denomination of Mr.
Reed or any of the other officers of the
House ia the last Congress. 1t was in the
cases of all OF them. except Mr.. Reed,
simply one good term deserving another,
while in his case it was two good terms
although not consecutive ones, deserving
another. Republicans are mutually proud
of big Tom Reed and his record as Speaker.
He has had to face some very difficult and
intricate parliamentary situations, but he
has never even in single instance failed to
force from them credit for himself and for
the Republican party. Although a
partisan of partisans upon all purely politi
cal questions, no Speaker has ever had
more and few as many, warm personal
friends among his political opponents. In
starting in upon this extra session OF Con-
gress, the country and the party is to be
congratulated that the work of the House
will be directed by so experienced a
parliamentaran as Mr.. Reed
A scandal of large proportions may he
shown up in connection with the acts of
Judge Lamoreux, Mr.. Cleveland's Com
missioner OF the United States Land Office,
in what is known as the Chicago lake front
case. Secretary Bliss has set aside de-
cison of LamoreuX in favor of certain
parties and ordered a new hearing of the
case. EX-Secretary Carlisle, who is now
the attorney of the parties whom Lamoreux
tried to favor, may be mixed up in the
scandal, as it is limited that he was inter
ested in the case while member of Mr..
| Cleveland cabinet. LamoreuX rendered
his resignation and left Washington several
days before the close of the Cleveland
administration, but his resignation has not
been accepted and present indications are
that it will not be, but that he will be
dismissed. Some very valuable Chicago
real estate is involved in this case.
1t might be supposed from the concerted
yelping from the democratic free traders at
the now completed tariff bill, that they are
really surprised to lind that Chairman
Dingley and his Republican associates have
made protection bill, just as the country
last November directed the Republican
party to do. They are pretending that
they expected the rates of the duty in the
new bill to be much lower than they are.
The new bill is a Republican measure from
beginning to end, intended to supply the
$50, 900, 900 annual deficit in the Govern
ment receipts, and at the same time to give
idle American working men profitable EN-
ployment by restoring the American
market the best in the whole world, to
our own manufacturers and producers from
whom it was taken largely and presented
to foreigners by the tariff enacted by Demo
Gratis. Whether the tariff bill will become
a law in its present shape is matter be-
yond telling, but it is bill that every Re
publican will gladly vote for Just as it
stands and no material changes are likely
to be made before it passes the house. If
changes are made in the Senate, it will be
because they are necessary to get votes
needed to pass it, and not because of any
Republican objection to it. President
Mckinley would gladly sign the bill just
as it is and have his administration stand
or fall upon its workings.
President McKinleys rule requiring the
Congressional delegations to unite in re-
commenting men for Office, while dis
appointing to few individuals, is on the
whole good one, and one that makes it
well -nigh impossible to make bad APP
pointment. The few appointments made
up to this time have been pre-eminently
administration to 90 slow in making
appointments will also commend itself to
the people at large, who are much more
interested in seeing the policy Inaugural
ted that will restore the prosperity of the
country than in who shall get the COM
paratively few Offices at President Nc
Kinley's disposal. OF course most Re-
publicans wish to see all the places under
the Government, not covered by Civil
Service Rules, filed by good Republicans,
men who are in sympathy with the party
principle and policy; and they all will be
in the course of few months but for the
present only such changes as are considered
necessary, will be made 1t is altogether
probable that when more important matters
have been disposed of, some of the ex-
tensions of the civil service rules, which
are known to have been made solely for tho
purpose of keeping Democrats in office,
will be set aside. Steps are now being
quietly taken that will later on give the
country few surprises in connection with
some of Mr.. Cleveland S extensions of the
civil service rules. There is no more
sincere advocate of the true spirit of civil
service reform than President Mckinley,
but where it is shown that the civil service
rules have merely been made a cloak to
cover the rankest partisanship, he will not
hesitate to strip the cloak off the partsans