The Press., 1897-02-04
Washington Letter.
Washington. Feb. ist, iss7.

Gratton treaty was to Dc hung up IT not Ac" | tually rejected, the senate committee on foreign relations has made & favorable report on the treaty and amended 1t to meet the objections to the amendments. Although members of the committee have publicly said that they would not be hurried by public clamor, there isn't the slightest doubt that they have been hurried by the great pressure of public opinion in favor Of prompt and favorable action on the treaty, which has been brought to bear upon them. It Is all very we'll for senators to talk about defying public opinion, but as q matter of fact, few of them ever do.
 Speaker Reed Is still memorable on the public building question, and the men who want the public building bill, acted upon, although they are numerous enough to override the speaker in the house, are apparently afraid to openly rebel.
 Another treaty with Great Britain. .has been sent to the senate. It provides for a settlement of the long dispute over & portion of the boundary line between Alaska and the British possessions, and already the question is being asked, why the whole Alaskan boundary was not in- cludedP Perhaps Secretary Olney will answer this question when the senate com mittee on foreign relations get ready to take up the new treaty. It Is quite certain that he will be asked to do so.
 Openly none of the republicans in congress have anything but words of praise for the selection of MT. Lyman J. Gage to be sec retary Of treasury in the Mckinley cab'- net, but among themselves, those who think that no man should be honored who cannot stand the test of party fealty, do not hesitate to say that the selection of MT. Gage was bad politics on the part of Maj. Mckinley. They do not deny Mir. Gage's fitness from & strictly business point of view to administrate the affairs of the treasury department, but they think that the same tarif opinions which caused Mir. Gage to vote for Cleveland. will influence him when he comes to ad- minister the tariff law which the republi- cans expect to put upon the statute books at the coming extra session of congress, and that the result will not be satisfactory to those who believe in protection before everything else in tarin matters. The men who believe in silver as we'll as those who hope to see the financial question handled conservatively by the coming ad. ministration, regard the selection of MT. Gage with some suspicion, and some of them do not hesitate to say that although MT. Gage lives in Chicago, his connection with Wall street is as close as that oi any New York banker.
 Senator Allen has introduced 6 bill which would unquestlonable make good and useful law, if properly enforced, but which wouldn't have one chance in a thousand, even if there were year instead of a month remaining of the present ses. sion of congress. The title of the bill is ITO Prevent the Over Capitalization oi Corporations", and 1t provides that all Interstate railroad, steamboat and tele graph companies shall file correct sched ule of all there assets with the com. missloners of railroads, together with written evidence to show that their capi tai stock does not exceed the actual value of their assets.
 Representative Watson, of Ohio, hal introduced a bill providing for a new member of the cabinet, a secretary O labor. It Is not a new idea, nor will Il become law just yet, although''it prob ably will some day.
 The U. s. supreme court will now hay go at the case of the Three Friends ,on' of the alleged Cuban fillibustering vessels the attorney general having at the instance of the secretary of state, applied for { writ of certiorari in every day English go the latter official Isn't satisfied with tn, ruling of Judge Locke, Of the southern district of Florida, in proceedings brough against the vessel.
 The most popular member of Mckinley cabinet yet named, Is Gen. Russell A Alger, of Michigan, who is to be secretar, of war. When Senator Sherman wa elected as secretary of state, 1t was sup posed that Gen. Alger would no longe be considered as a cabinet possibility be cause it was known that the two men ha' not been on friendly terms since the publi cation of Sherman's book, but 1t seem that they have agreed to let bygones b bygones, and to be friends. At any rat they are to serve in the cabinet together Gen. Alger Is personally one of the mos genial and approachable men to be foun' lnsa a days search, and his experienc ought to make him a good executiv officer.
 The Mckinley cabinet as decided upol to date, may be given as follows;-
 Secretary of State - John Sherman O Ohio.
 Secretary of the Treasury = Lyman Gage of Chicago.
 Secretary of War-Russel A. Alser o Michigan.
 Secretary of the Navy-John D. LonI of Massachusetts.
 Secretary Of the Interior-Judge Me Kenna of California.
 Secretary of Agriculture James s Wilson of Iowa.
 Governor Cooke on Tuesday sent i for re-nomination the names of Chic Justice Andrews and Justice Fenn of tn . | anprau,a aourt ana Tudoau p Hall c C