The Press., 1897-08-19
Washington Letter.
Washington, Aug. 3, 189

Although there is a quorum of the of vacation dullness around all the govern ment departments. Secretary Sherman is at his office every day, but since he has had to deny so many newspaper interviews he will only talk in monosyllables to those who are allowed to get in to see him. At torney General McKenna is wrestling with tariff problem referred to him by Secre- tary Gage, who is also in town, for an opinion, and he has listened to arguments on one side by Ex-Secretary Carlisle and Ex-Assistant Secretary Hamlin, the first representing the Boston and Maine R. R. and the latter Boston business organiza- tiOns. Secretary Wilson, is as usual, hammering away on routine matters and not inclined to court publicity in any way. :-
 According to an official document sign ed and madepublic by Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, an exhaustive report made by Commander Davis, has shown that those who charged that everything was not conducted just as it should be at the Brooklyn Navy Yard were merely dream CTS of troubled dreams, or words to that effect. Mir. Roosevelt even goes further, as may be seen from the following ex- tract from his official comments upon Commander Dayis' report But 1t is evident that the real reason for the at taeks upon MT. Bowles (the constructor in charge of the Brooklyn navy yard)is to be found, not in the fact that he has done badly but that he has done well''
 It would seem that ex-Senator Black burn, of Ky, one of the most radical of of silver men, is not without influence with the appointing powers of at least one department under the present administra- tion. At any rate that is the construction most generally put upon the hereinstatement in office of Miss Minnie McMillin, who was dismissed by Chief Clerk Logan Carlisle while the controversy between his father, then secretary of the treasury, and MT. Blackburn, then senator, was at it's warmest period. It was stated at the time of Miss McMillin's dismissal that it was done to spite Senator Blackburn, ,and 1t is now said that she owes her reinstate- ment to efforts of Ex-Senator Blackburn.
 Everything pertaining to war continues to grow more and more expensive. The ordinance bureau of the war department recently opened sealed proposals for the construction of five disappearing gun carriages, more or less, upon which to mount the heavy guns intended to be used for coast defenses; and the lowest bid received was $28, ,56O each for the carriages. Such prices would make the ordinance officer of the period of the first Napoleon open his eyes in wonder, and yet the cost of the guns to be mounted upon these carriages will be much more than the carriages, and the cost of firing them will exceed $1 ,OOO a shot. Perhaps after all it is cost rather than an improve ment in human nature that has operated to lessen the number of wars between nations in position to make war upon up-tO-date methods.
 The efforts now being made by Immi- grafton Commissioner Powderly to pre- ventthe coming to the United States of those anarchists who have been or will be expelled from European countries, under the stringent regulations put in force in consequence of the assassination of the Spanish prime minister, will be watched with eager interest by those who know the weakness of our laws in defining an anarchist, and ewRoxTemember the failure of determined effort to prevent the coming of notorious English anarch- ist several years ago. The man simply proved tlmt he had ample means and was we'll educated, and the government not being able to prove that he came to the U. s. for any unlawful purpose, he had to be admitted. His trip was made 8 failure by the state authorities which prevented his making speeches and not by the U. s. authorities. If the anarchists are psupers or convicted criminals, they can be kept 0ateaAy enough, but If they have even mod6rate means and have not been convicted of crime, keeping them out will be no easy job. But MT. Powder ly, who has issued special order to immigration officers warning them to look out for two Spanish anarchists, said to be headed this way, will make. the effort.