The times., 1899-12-28
POLITICAL NOTES AND GOSSIP.

Moving Against Mr.. Gagc.-It seems
now not improbable that Immediately after
Congress reassembles the Democrats OF
both Houses will get after Secretary Gage
in an attempt to thoroughly ventilate the
Treasury's transaction with the City Ma
tioual Bank of New York Three resolu-
tons have already been prepared for pres
entation in the House, one by Mr.. De Graf
fenreid of Texas, one by Mr.. Sulzer of New
York, and the other by Mr.. Noonan of IIli-
nois demanding that all of the details of
the transaction BY which Secretary Gage
has ordered that all the internal revenues
of the Government be deposited in the bank
named be furnished to the House In or
der to obviate the possible danger of the
discussion being delayed through the sub
JeCt matter being referred to a committee,
Mr., Sulzer will make his resolution priv
Heged matter. He thereby expects to have
it before the House for consideration as
soon as il is read by the clerk Mr.. De
Granenreid has not yet signified an inten-
tion 10 invest his resolution with a like
character, though he said yesterday that
II would be presented in such form that
no committee would dare smother it, The
Democratic expectation is that the ReJub-
lcans will treat the resolution as a party
iilIrS VI = anu therefore align themselves
to man against both its consideration and
adoption II that should be the Repub-
lcan treatment of il. the Democrats would
then only hope 10 trace the blame for the
Secretary OF the TreasuTy's order direct 10
the head OF the Administration. Already
many of them are inclined to wholly abb
solve Mr.. Gage from the real responsibility
and are saying that he has acted only IN
compliance to instructions, expressed or
Implied, from the White House. whose oc-
cup1nt. it is alleged is looking to the
Standard Oil and Sugar Trust interests, al
lied with the City National Bank, to pro-
vide large par of The campaign fund
next year. Democratic Senators who dis
cussed the subject yesterday with a Times
representative refused to be quoted,
though two of them said plainly that they
were looking into the matter with the view
OF discovering some means by which il can
be effectively brought before the Senate
p s. Wilson of Colorado. who was con-
nected with the Treasury Department in
an important capacity during Mr. Cleve-
land's first Administration, said ut the
Riggs House yesterday: THE deposit of
the internal revenue receipts was one of
the first serious questions that confronted
Dan Manning. At first it was proposed to
make a wide distribution Of them in the
banks conveniently situated in various
pS'l - Ol tue country. AFTER several con
fereuCes Mr. Manning asked me as a law
yer to carefully investigate the legal
phases of the questions involved. Ny in
ye5tigation was thorough. and [ gave Mr.
Manning an exhaustive opinion, the central
feature Of which was that there was no
warrant In either the statutes on sound
rulings of the Treasury Department for
farming out the Governments revenues.
Obviously the letter and spirit of the law
intend that the revenues shall come di
rectly to the vaults OF the Treasury and
be held there until disbursed. | know Sec
retary Gage well. Our acquaintance is Of
thirty-two years standing, He is one of
the cIearest-headed and most upright men
l ever knew. In his entire career he has
made few mistakes and none Of a serious
nature. unless this City National Bank
transaction is to be attributed to him.
Knowing him as I do. [ cannot believe
that he IS responsible for it,"