Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-03-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Special Correspondence
WASHINGTON. D. G., Fehv. 10. ,a7.

Gen. I. s. Clarkson, Commander in
Chief of the G. A. R.. who was in
Washington this week to attend the
annual encampment of the Department
OF the Potomac, said of Gen. Alger,
the next Secretary of War: IT was ON
Gen. Alger's staff when he was Com
mander in Chief OF the Grand Army.
and knew him very we'll. There ism
a man in the Grand Army who doesn't
believe that Gen. Alger was a brave
and good soldier, and we are delighted
to see him made Secretary of War. 1t
is a matter of considerable c%ongratula.
ton to us that both the President and
Secretary of War will be members of
the Grand Army. We have done very
well in the matter of Presidents since
the war. President Mckinley will be
the fifth, the others having been,
Grant, Hayes, Garfield and Harrison"
Some fears are expressed that one or
more of the regular appropriation bills
may fail to become laws before the ex.
piration of the Fifty Fourth Congress,
but so far as can be learned they are
not shared by the veterans who com.
pose the Senate and House Appro-
prlations Committees. One of them
speaking of the matter said: 1.-THE life
OF this Congress is rapidly drawing to
a close, but with the exception of the
General Deficiency bill, which is al.
ways %purposely kept back 80 as to in
clude items that may get overlooked
and 80 as to give the departments time
to ascertain all the deficiencies, we have
the appropriation bills which have not
yet become laws well in hand, and,
unless one of them should be vetoed
during the last few days of the session,
l feel certain that they will all get
through, although one or two of them
will as usual have a tight squeeze; but
there will be little or no time to devote
to anything else from now on"
Although Senator Pettigrew, of
South Dakota, denied the charge made
by Senator Chandler, that he betrayed
the sound money convention that sent
him to the st. Louis convention, by
boiling that convention and support.
ing the silver monometallist candidate
for President, his denial left the charge
just about where it was when first
made. 1t has been repeatedly stated
in Washington that Senator Pettigrew
pledged himself to a number of Repub-
licans to abide by the candidates and
platform of the s.. Louis convention
before he was elected a delegate; also
that Mr.. Pettigrew would not have
been elected delegate if he had not
made that pledge. If he wishes to con-
vince people that his subsequent &C.
ton was blameless he should be a lit.
tie more specific. Stating that a con
vention which had just come out fiat
footed for sound money SEM him as a
delegate to the national vention
knowing that he would bolt the con.
vention if declared for sound money,
as Mr.. Pettigrew in substance does.
is not convincing enough.
Although Senator Frye is the second
member of the Senate Committee on
Foreign Relations, he will not succeed
Senator Sherman IS its Chairman after
March 3. Senator Frye is Chairman of
the Committee on Commerce and has,
it is understood, stated that he would
not care to undertake the arduous
duties of Chairman Of the Foreign
Committee in addition to those of his
present Craftsmanship, which he pre-.
fers to retain. Consequently it is con
sldered certain that Senator Davis, of
Minnesota, at present third member of
the Committee, will be made Chairman
when Senator Sherman retires. Mr..
Davis is thoroughly equipped in gen.
era knowledge for the position, and
his Americanism is of the true blue
brand. There is some talk of a combi-
nation of the silver Senators to prevent
the retention by the Republicans of the
organization of the Senate in the next
Congress, but known conditions do not
warrant belief in the success of such a
combination, even should the attempt
be made.
A great many bright newspaper men
are assuming to tell just what Speaker
Reed will do at the coming extra ses.
sion, but not one on them has given
Speaker Reed as his authority. 1t
should be needless to say that Mr.. Reed,
even if he has fully decided upon his
exact course, which is doubtful, has
not taken anybody, outside of the lead.
ers of the Republican party, into his
confidence, and that neither he nor
they are in the habit of furnishing ad-
vance programs to newspaper men.
Some things may be surmised with a
fair degree of correctness by almost
anybody who is fully conversant with
the situation, but when any attempt
is made to enter into details about the
committees of the next House and
what will or will not be done beyond
the passing of the tariff bill, for which
the extra session will be expressly
called, 1t is simply guessing and that
is one of the things your correspondent
never does when important matters
are involved. While a clever guess