The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-03-18
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent !

WASHINGTON, d. G. Mar. 13, 1898
President Mckinley is proud of the
patience and forbearance displayed by
the American people during their try
ing wait for the verdict of the Naval
Court of Inquiry that is investigating
the Maine disaster, in the face of many
unjusti6able and inflamable publica
tions, although he is not surprised.
He knows that whatever may be said
or done by a few individuals that the
great mass of our people recognize
that it would be as great an insult to
the brave officers who compose that
Court to take action in advance of the
report of the Court as it would be to q
judge and jury of any other court to
! take an accused murderer in the midst
of his trial and lynch him. Every
preparation that wisdom and patriot
ism can suggest is being made to place
our military and naval forces in posi-
tion to meet any emergency that may
arise. If there is to be war, we shall
be ready for it, and we shall win.
President Mckinley and every mem
Der of his cabinet feel great indigna-
at the disgraceful affair at Lake City,
South Carolina, which resulted in the
murder of the postmaster and one of
his children, and the wounding of
three others, an official report of which
has been made to the Postoffice De-
partment. At the last Cabinet meet
ing it was unanimously decided to in
crease the Governments reward to
ST. 500, for information that will lead
to the conviction of the perpetrator or
perpetrators of the cowardly and das-
tardly crime, and that all the facilities
of the postoffice Department and of
the Department of Justice should be
utilized in the effor, to run down the
murderers.
The Senate committee on civil SER
vice, which made an exhaustive in
vestigation of the subject, has reported
in favor OF removing from the classi-
fled service all deputy collectors of in
ternal revenue, st)re-keepers, and
guagers, and all deputy collectors of
customs. The report also adopts the
contention Of Senator Pritchard, chair
man of the committee, that the Gov
ernment printing Office was never
legally put within the classified SER
vice and is not, by right, now in that
service.
The delay in getting a special rule,
which was made necessary by demo-
cratic objections when unanimous
consent was asked, reported to the
House from the committee on rules
for the consideration of the bill pro-
viding for the enlistment of two addi-
tional artillery regiments has not been
caused by opposition to the bill on the
part of republicans members of that
committee, as has been declared by
sensation mongers. No republican
member of the committee is opposed
to the bill, but all of the republican
members of the committee were op-
posed to any precipitate action, such
as would cause the country to get the
idea that the bill was an emergency
measure, whereas it is only carrying
out the requests of the War Depart
ment several years old. A rule will | e
reported, and the bill will be passed.
It has been discovered that some
democratic members of the House are
resorting to questionable methods of
making friends of old soldier voters in
their districts, by grossly misrepre-
senting the attitude of the administra-
tion and of the republican leaders of
the House towards individual pension
bills. A letter written by Representa-
tive Brucker of Michigan, which is
now in Washington, to constituent
/ for whom he has introduced pension
bill, contains half dozen wilful mis-
statements that the writer will doubt
less hear from quite often should he
be renominated by the democrats of
his district.
A map of Alaska, showing known
gold bearing rocks, with a pamphlet
describing geography, geology and gold
deposits, together with routes to the
gold fields, has been published, in ac-
cordance with a joint resolution of
Congress, by the U. S. Geological Sur
vey, copies of which may be obtained
free by writing to one of your Sena-
tors or to your Representative.