Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-03-03
WASHINGTON LETTER
(From Our Special Correspondence
WASHINGTON, D. c., Febv. Oh ,a7

W. We
There is another awful mix I'M ION.
corning Cuba. Whether Consul Gen.
eral tltz Lee actually did send in his
resignation or only threatened to do so.
a of the failure of the admins.
tration to support the demands he
made on Gen. Weyler in behalf of
American citizens arrested by the
Spaniards in Cuba, will not be posj
lively Know until Secretary Olney re.
plies to the Senate resolution calling
Tor copies of all the correspondence be.
tween Gen. Lee and the State depart.
ment' and there seems actually to be a
doubt as 10 whether Olney will COM.
ply with that resolution. The feeling
Is general in Congress that the admin.
istration has never taken Congress en-.
tirely into its confidence as to its rela
tons with Spain and as to its official
information, and nothing but the fact
that the administration will retire next
week prevents some vigorous action on
the part of Congress that would make
things warm for Cleveland and Olney.
1t would naturally be supposed that
Olney would have given Senator Sher.
man, who is soon to succeed him as
Secretary of State, all the information
in his possession, but it is known that
he has not done so. On the contrary,
he told Senator Sherman that there was
no important news from Cuba, when it
is known that he had in his possession
II communication from Consul Gen.
Lee that was of the utmost Importance.
1T is difficult to account for OIney' s De-
culiar action in this matter, which has
revived much of the ugly talk about
his personal relations with the Spanish
minister, which was so prevalent some
time ago.
I. s. Ellison, of Minnesota, called
upon an official of the P. o. D., who ia
a personal friend, to get some idea of
the places outside of the civil service
rules in that department, for a friend
a this home who has official aspirations.
In Mr.. Ellison's own words, this is
what occurred after he had greeted his
friend and told the nature of his err
rand: He told me to get a sheet of
paper and write down the places the
law excluded as he called them off. |.
got a sheet of foolscap, and ia my in.
nocence imagined that a rather big
job lay in front of me. First said he,
the Postmaster General and a Private
Secretary; then four Assistant Post.
master Generals Here he came to a
pretty long stop, and thinking that he
was waiting on me, l indicated nv
readiness to proceed. That's ALL he
said. Holy smoke. You can't mean it.
What. Only six places in one of the
biggest departments in Washington
outside of the civil service rules? But
he did mean it, and recited nothing but
the cold facts, as l found upon veri6-
cation of this Statement"
AS a rule Republicans in Congress
think the address issued this week by
the Senators and Representatives who
bolted the st. Louis convention would
better have been left unisshed. The
slgners of it-among them is Senator
Jones, of Nevada, who at the last SEES
sion of Congress announced that he
had left the Republican party and be-
ne a Populist-put forth the claim
that they are still Republicans, aitho'
they bolted the Republican National,
and at the present session
of Congress declined an invitation to
enter the Republican caucus, and ask
other Republicans to sustain them by
Joining in the organization of a silver
party. This address was
by six Senators and four Repre-.
Visitors to previous inaugurations
have criticized unfavorably the failure
to decorate the public buildings when
money is so lavishly spent to decorate
buildings. There will be no
such criticism this time, as the public
buildings are to be handsomely decor
ated and also illuminated on the night
Of March 4, as they have not been since
capture of Richmond in 1865.
The first member of President Nc.
cabinet to arrive in Washing.
ton was Hon. James A. Gary, of Mary.
land. and second, Hon. Lyman Gage,
of Ill. They are both on the lookout
Tor residences, for their families. They
received a cordial welcome from Sena.
Tor Sherman their colleague to be in
The cabinet, and from the other Repub-
leans in Congress. Neither OF them
would consent to be quoted on public
matters. on the ground that it is not
yet time for them to speak. Both gem