The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-09-07
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Sept. 4th, 1899,

Washington Saturday afternoon, but
left to-day for Philadelphia, to attend
the annual encampment of the Il. a.
r. He kept so thoroughly in touch
with all important public matters
during his absence that he found only
routine business on his desk when he
returned He had informal talks
with all the members of the Cabinet,
except Secretary Long, who is not in
the city, and there was a regular
Cabinet meeting to-day. He also
heard a verbal report by President
Schurman, of the Philippine Commits
sion. He anticipates Il pleasant time
at the encampment owing to the large
number of old friends he will meet
there.
Commissioner Evans of the Pension
Bureau completed his annual report
before leaving for the G.. a. X. en-
campment, and copies of the docu-
ment will probably be distributed
among the veterans. There is more
or less talk of the probability of an
attack being made upon Commission
er Evans method of administering
the Pension Bureau, in the report of
the &. A. r. committee, which made
an investigation several months ago,
and which will he submitted to the
encampment; but Mr.. Evans is con
fident that the Committees report
will show that he administered the
laws properly and that if there is
any censure, it will be of the laws and
not of him. The report OF the Com
missioner recommends the repeal of
the law granting arrears of pensions
to the widows of pensioners he also
recommends that the law shall be
strictly enforced which requires every
pension agent TO prepare and mail to
each pensiOner whose pension is pay
able at his agency, a voucher fifteen
days proceeding each quarterly pen
sion day. The report says that dur
ing the present fiscal year, the arrears
of work will be greatly diminished
and that all claims will be made prac
tically current. The report also ex-
presses satisfaction with the work
accomplished during the year, and
says: The work is in far better con
dition than at any time since | as
sumed charge of the Bureau, and it
is believed that further progress will
be attained by the system that has
been instituted in the different divi-
been introduced, but the work has
been accomplished under prescribed
rules of many years standing.'
Uncle Sam did pretty well for
summer month, i'll August, which is
usually dull in official as well as in
private business. The Treasury re
ceipts were SIS, $50, 900 more than they
were in August of last year, and the
surplus for the month was 81 ,455, S62
The amount of gold in the Treasury
is larger than ever before, the exact
figures being $24S, 757971. These fig
ures tell their own story of the pros
porous condition of the government
and of the country, and in the face of
such a story, how ridiculous is the
claim now being made by some Dem
ocrats, that the Democrats have a
chance to carry the country next
year. TO accept such n claim is to
impeach the intelligence of the voters
of this country, who have too vivid a
remembrance of Cleveland times not
to fully appreciate a good thing when
they have it, and to vote for its con
tinuance.
The most talked of event in politi-
cal circles, just now, is the buying of
the Democratic nomination for Gov
ernor of Ohio, by Mr.. John r. Nc
Lean. whose actual residence is in
Washington, but who has large prop
ertv interests i'll Ohio corporations,
and who is also the owner and nomi-
nal editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Republicans, including President Nc
kinley, do not regard the nomination
of Mclean as an important factor in
the gubernatorial campaign, because
they believe that it has been from
the day of the nomination of Judge
Nash by the Republican convention
of Ohio, only question of how large
majority he would be given-there
has never been and is not now the
slightest doubt of his election. But
the Bryan Democrats are in almost a
state of panic. They do not trust
Mclean. They believe that he has
secured this nomination as part of
the plot to defeat Bryan for the Dem
ocratic Presidential nomination, next
year They are too badly frightened
to talk publicly, but among them
selves, they are talking as hard as
they can, and the wires have been
kept hot with messages to the Bryan
leaders, and to Mr.. Bryan himself,
containing plans to head off Mclean
ambition That Mr. Mel can is n m1l