The Press., 1897-09-16
Washington letter.
Washington, sept. 6, 1897.

Washington, Sept. 6, 1897.
 President Mckinley returned to Wash ington today for the purpose of holding cabinet meeting ,diseu4sing ban matters with Consul General Lee, and disposing of some pressing public land, to remain until about tho first of October.
 The suit for an injunction to prevent the postmaster general from removing an en- ploye of his department was argued be- fore Judge Cox, of the supreme court of the District of Columbia on Saturday. The Judge took the papers and stated that he would announce his decision i'll few days. It is believed that he will sus- tain the right of the head of n department to change or remove any of the employees at his discretion, by refusing theinjunction asked for. Whatever the decision, the case will be appealed and carried to the U. $. supreme court.
 According to returns from thirty Of the largest post-offlces, the business of which has been regarded as a trustworthy barometer of the general business con-
 
 decided move on them ard the country has crossed the line which separated it from prosperity. The business of these thirty post-off1ces was eight percent great CT In August 1897, than itwas in the same month last year. A comparison of 1897 with 1896 shows, in January, a decrease of 3. 5percent; in February, decrease of 4. percent March, an increase of 3. 3 percent April, an increase of .5 percent; May, an increase of 7 percent; June, an increase of 5 percent, and July, of |. 3 percent. The jump to clean percent increase in August is considered some- thing extraordinary.
 Somewhat of a sensation in official circles followed the report telegraphed from Charlestown, s. C., that a Spanish spy had been making sketches of the ton harbor and of other Notifications on the Southern coast, although no rl1iioal will discuss the matter for publication. Although congress has provided that no 
 cation belonging to the government, with out special permit from the officer in command of 1t, there are, according to army officers, comparatively easy ways in which information may, from time to time, be obtained about our Notifications. l Congress invariably attaches to all appro- priations- for Notifications, a stipulation ! that tho work shall be done by contract, to be given to the lowest responsible bid der, and whenever any work is to be done upon any fertilization, bids have to be asked for. Every man who expresses his intention to bid for the work, must see where the work Is to be done, and must have access to all the plans and specifl- cations. That Is one of the easy ways of finding out about our Qualifications, and there are others too humorous to mention. Old army officers regard 1t as impossible to keep such things secret in this country when all the European countries have failed In their attempts to do the same thing. They say that our war depart ment gets about all the information it wants about the Qualifications in other countries, and they assume that the other countries can do the same about ours. It Is altogether likely that Spain and other countries are constantly represented with | in our Qualifications by men seeking and getting information, but nobody need lose any sleep on account of the practice.
 Considerable gossip has been caused in political circles by the statement that Senator Hanna Is using the money and influence of the republican national con- mittee, of which he is chairman, much more freely to aid his own senatorial as- pirations than he is doing to help his party in other states which hold elections this year. While this may not be con- sidered exactly the fair thing to do, it is just about what the average man always does when he has chance. MT. Hanna naturally has 8 greater personal interest in carrying Ohio and getting himself elected to the senate than he has in his party carrying any other state. The politi- cans who do not look out for their person. al interests, do not remain .In politics long. This is not meant as either excuse or defense for Senator Hanna, but as plain statement of everyday facts, known to every man who Is familiar with politi- cal methods in any party.
 The treasury department is working through all of its agents in that section to keep Americans from venturing into the Klondike gold regions, until after travel opens next spring, in order to save them from certain starvation that will await many of them who succeed in getting in | this fall.