Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-07-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE. |

mission, did not make its appearance,
and to Judge by indications at Wash
ington it is likely to be indefinitely
postponed. 1t looks as though the
Republican leaders had read the riot
act to the president ON this matter,
aud If so their remOnstrances a"e fully
justified by the congressional situa-
tion. Everybody knows that at this
late stage of the session there is not
the remotest chance of obtain
ing authority for the appoint
ment of n currency commission.
If the president had any real desire
for such action he would have brought
the subject to the notice of Congress
long ago. 1t is, sadly, too late to cor
rect the omission. With existing condi-
tions, to send in message calling for
currency commission would he to
take part in political farce and to in
vite humiliating rebuff. The presi-
dent of the United States owes it to
his high position to keep himself far
above the suspicion of insincerity. To
that suspicion Mr.. Mckinley would
be exposed if he recommende Con-
gress to adopt course which had be-
come plainly impossible.
A PICTURESQUE FIauRE-The death
of Senator Harris of Tennessee re-
moves from the Senate one of the very
few picturesque figures it contained.
The old man, irascible, bitter and
bOurbonish rs he was in many respects.
was strong personality. A party
leader of much force, a parliam entarian
unsurpassed and, what added espe.
cially to the interest in him, his career
in connection with the confederacy
was romantic toan unusual degree. He
entered public life, too, in Tennessee
soon after Queen Victoria began to
reign, and before 1850 he was elected
to the lower branch of Congress, where
he served two terms. These fast
disappearing statesmen of the old
southern school-they are nearly
gone-had 80 much of the ups
and downs of supremacy and defeat
aud were so closely identified with the
greatest drama of our history, that
they now appeal to the imagination
with peculiar power. They will he
celebrated in history for their capacity
for rulership, their massive wills and
the stubborn, splendid courage with
whicc they could struggle for cause
which deserved no victory and was
precious only in the hearts it made to
bleed.
Mr.. SHERMAN IN DEcADENcE--The
Washington correspondents of all par
ties continue to send on melancholy
accounts of John Sherman as
he is seen and recognized at
the capital He is still apparently
but the tigurehead in the secretary of
states department. He lately visited
the Senate, says report, and received
slight attention from his former
associates there. There had been
no case previously like this of Mr..
Sherman in the history of the govern
ment, and it is difficult to say how it
will end. The reporter re-
marks that "It is really sad to watch
a once great man but spectre of his
former sell, aud to realize that career
as brilliant and remarkable as any the
country has known is closing under a
cloud, simply that the ambition of one
man might he gratitied."
LIMITATION REsroRHD-Senator AL
drich threw out the clause in the Ding
ley bill which limited to 800 the
value of personal etie t. which an
American travelling i'll foreign parts
could bring back with him to this
country. Ills reason was that the i'm
position of this clause, which would
make it necessary to subject
each returning traveller, male and
female, to a bodily examina-
ton by the custom house Off
cials, would make the law more odious
to the people than even large dona-
tions of government favor to trust
organizations. As it is evidently the
desire of the majority in Congress to
make the bill as unpopular as possible,
and as Senator Aldrich is still out on
sick leave, the $1OO limitation has
been restored, and will be part Of
the bill when enacted.
TEADUrY NEcEssARY-The question
of the duty ON tea is again receiving
the attention of the committee. This
was practically abandoned at one time,
but since it has been found necessary
to let the beer tax go, and to foreg,
the tax ON checks, it is thought
that the tea duty may be necessary to
bring the revenue up to the requisite
point. The inclinations of the COM
mittee are still against the tax, and if
kept in it will only be on account of
necessity. The committee is now hav-
computation made that will deter
mine this matter.
BEsEr BY OFFICE SEEKERs-John
Russell Young, the new librarian of
Congress, is beset by office-seekers,
like every other man who has place
to fill. He has 100 places and 5000
applications, but he states that he
shall put the whole list under civil
service rules. 1t is interesting to
note that for one of his principal Of
fees, that of register of copyrights,
an applicant holds the recommends
ton Of "the New York Au thors' union,
Appleton's, Harper's and other pub
fishing houses.
REvoKING RULEs-Those who were
complaining at the unwillingness of
President Cleveland, when in Office,
to more rapidly extend the principles
of civil service reform, so as to in
clude all the branches of government
under the classified services, would
do well to take notice that President
McKinley's chief duty seems now to
lie to revoke, for the purpose Of Civ
ing patronage to the spoilsmen, the
rules that his predecessor made, and
thus far we haven't noticed any Re-
,,u ii iron urntaSts