The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-01-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Washington, Jan 10-Mr. Nc
Kinley, by working overtime and by
using shovel on the pie, managed
to send more nominations to the Sen
ate since Congress reasse mbled
than have before gone in in any sim
gle week since he took charge of
the pie counter, but it has not less
ened the pressure on him for pie even
little bit. For every hungry mouth
he has filled there are a thousand
asking to be filed.
There is suspicion that Mr. Nc
Kinley. instead of being opposed
TO the warm fight thai being made
in the House for mo-. cation Of the
civil service law, is really in it Lack
ing the backbone to use his authority
to modify the rules under the present
law. he will do nothing. But if Con.
gress adopts any legislation he will al
low It to become law, probably with
out his signature. The ground for
this suspicion is ample. Many of
Mr.. McKinley's warm friends are
engaged in this fight. and every mem
Der of ais Cabinet has gone on re-
cord as favoring some modification
The bill now before the House civil
service committee limits the law to
these positions paying from 5000 to
$1,S00 year.
The Senate has taken up the Ha-
waiian annexation treaty and, if its
supporters have their ~ay, will con-
slider it daily until a vote is reached.
Senator Butler of North Carolina.
has offered a joint resolution propos-
ing constitutional amendment that
would tevolutionize the o S. courts
1t proposes that all the o. s judges.
including those of the Supreme
Court. ehall be elected by the peo-
Pile. for terms of eight years, and pro-
vides for division of the country in
to circuits for their election. Speak
ing of his resolution. Senator Butler
says: There was a time when all
the states thought it incumbent upon
them to appoint their judges for life
Now the life tenure of ajudge in
state is the exception l believe
in placing the power over the
judiciary in the bands of the peo-
pie. If the system of stated terms is
good in the states it ought to be
equally good for the Federal Govern
meDt."
MANY democrats in Congress favor
beginning the congressional cam
paign of next fall at once on the floors
of Congress and keeping up red hot,
aggressive fight upon the republicans
from start to finish Among them is
Representative De Armond, of Mis-
souri. who said on the subject: eve
ought to be aggressive We want to
force the fighting We ought to lose
no'time in exposing the hypecricy
and co,gardice of our political oppo-
nents We can lose nothing by be-
ing aggressive. Those who followed
the standard of Democracy and Bryan
In the last campaign are as enthusias-
tic and as earnest as .ever, and we
who are, here in Congress represent
ing that sentiment oughtno to lag"
Senator Chiffon. of Texas, says of
the civil service bubbub in republi-
can ranks ''In my opinion, if Mr.
Bryan had been elected instead of
Mr. Mckinley. the fly apecks which
republican orators in Congress now
imagine to be blood spots on the
civil service system would have es-
capped their attention altogether.
Their sudden realization that the idea
of civil service reform has been car
ried TOO far is due solely to their
purpose to get republicans into
places now filed by equally capable
democrats, and no democratic sena-
tor or representative should give.
them aid or comfort in their'designs." +"
Czar Reed is the one republican in
Congress who has never buckled
down TO Boss Hanna. On the con-
trary, he not long ago made Hanna
eat big chunk Of humble pie it
all came about in connection with the
appointment of light house keeper
in Mr. Reeds district. q place Nh
Reed had asked for one of his con-
stituen.s Instead of the appoint
ment Mr. Reed got letter from the
headquarters of the republican na-
tional committee, signed NJ. A Ham
ma. That made him mad. He isn't
a profane man, but his demand for an
explanation from the Treasury De-
psrtment as to what M A Hanna
had to do with appointments in bis
district was as "hot stuff as any
body OH Secretary Cages staff cared
to hear about. An apology quickly
followed, as did the appointment of