The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-09-17
ashington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

! WASHINGTON, d. G. Sept, IL, 1897.
! Other officials are just as deeply in
terested in the suit brought against
Postmaster General Gary and First
Assistant Heath, by John G. Woods
Supt. of Mails in the Louisville, XIV
Post Office, to determine the right
heads of departments have to remove
officials in the classified civil service,
as are the gentlemen directly concern
ed. A temporary restraining order,
forblddlng the removal of Wood was
granted returnable last Saturday, and
directing the Postmaster General and
his first assistant to show cause why it
should not be made perpetual. The
hearing was postponed one week from
that date. A test case is to be made
as both sides wish to have the matter
definitely settled by decision of the
U. S. Supreme Court, so no matter
how the case may be decided, an ap-
peal will be taken, and when the case
gets on the docket of the Supreme
Court, Attorney General MeKenna
will move to have it advanced for
early hearing. 1t is also expected that
the case will be so handled in the
Supreme Court as to get decision
that will cover other points of the
civil service law than the one directly
presented by this case It is highly
desirable that heads Of departments
should know the exact extent of their
authority over their subordinates.
M. Patenotre, the French Ambassa-
dor, has been consulting with Secre-
tary Sherman with a view to securing
a reduction In some of the duties i'm
posed by the Dingley tariff upon pro-
ducts of France, by commercial
agreement between the two countries.
The articles upon which ne is especial
ly desirous OF getting. reduced duties
are brandy, champagne, still wine and
vermouth, and paintings, drawings
and statuary, and the reductions ask
ed for will average about 25 per cent.
The president has authority to grant
these reductions without the formality
of a treaty, whenever, in his judgment
there are satisfactory reasons for so
doing; all that is needed to put them
into effect being proclamation by
the President. The Dingley tariff also
provides for reciprocity treaties, but
they must be ratified by the Senate
and approved by the House after they
are negotiated, before they become
binding. This is the first time that
the House of Representatives has been
recognized as part of the treaty-mak-
ing machinery of the government.
Those who are offering to sell the
information about examinations, etc.
which the civil service commission
furnishes to all applicants therefor
free. have grown so numerous that the
commission has issued an announce
ment containing the following explicit
language: "No person has any infor-
nation of Importance to applicants,
concerning examinations which can
not be obtained without cost from the
commission. All claims to the con-
trary, therefore, are misrepresenta-
tions."
Naval Officials believe that the send
ing OF the battleship Indiana to Hall
fax to be docked will, after all, be a
good thing, because they think it will
convince Congress OF the necessity of
providing for ample docking facilities
of our own. 1t is hoped that it will
not be necessary to send any more
warships to Halifax to be docked.
In Difference to complaint made
by The Swiss minister, Secretary Sher-
man has written letter to the Cover
nor of Iowa, quoting the following
provisions from the treaty between
the U. S. and Switzerland: No higher
impost, under whatever name, shall be
exacted of the citizens Of one OF the
two countries residing or established
IN the other than shall be levied upon
the citizens of the country in which
they reside, nor any contribution,
whatever. to which the latter shall not
be liable. The Swiss Minister claims
that Iowa has laid a tax upon the pre-
MUM income of European Ins urance
Companies greater than the tax i'm
posed upon the premium income of
American Insurance Companies, and
that the same is a violation of the
treaty rights of Switzerland.
Attorney General McKenna will
make public his opinions of the con-
struction that should be placed upon
the clause of the Dingley tariff law,
discriminating duties, which
Gaun has asked for. inst as |