The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1899-12-28
Wa s.,ingt IN Letter.
eFrom our own Correspondent1

Secretary of Agriculture Wilson Esla.
soon leave the Cabinet on account o
ill health. Sometime ago he suffered
a severe attack Of heart disease an(
at that time desired TO retire, but tn,
President prevailed upon him to re
maiu. Now, however, it is said, hi
condition IS such that his resi- ynatioI
may be presented at any time. lie i:
native of Scotland, but has resided
in Iowa many years, having been &
professor in Glf agricultural colFgt
in that State before his appointment
| by the President in 1897.
The consideration Of the Roberts
matter by the special committee ap.
| pointed by Speaker Henderson, was
necessarily interrupted by the alb
sence Of witnesses. bat the informa-
tion late in the week that witnesses
were ell route east from Utah, and
that the committee would resume its
sessions, shows that the charges
against Roberts arc to be thoroughly
sifted, aud speedily too, as it is eX-
pected that much of the work of the
committee will be concluded before
January. Additional weakness to
the case of Roberts was caused by the
revealing of the fact that the charges
against the alleged Mormon and.poly-
gamous appointees, whom Roberts
claimed the President had named,
were not made until after their Sc
lection by the President, and that one
is now under Indictment and is about
to be tried by a state court, and the
other is fugitive IN the Klondike.
Perhaps thc two most famous MEM
bers of the Senate arc Mcssrs Depew
and Hanna. The latter has taken the
Cameron residence on LAFAYETTE
Square, formerly occupied by Vice
President Hobart, and the New York
orator has leased the Corcoran resi-
Both Mr.. Hanna and Dr.Depew are ex-
ceedingly popular among the officials
in Washington and as 10th are stmp-
tuous entertainers, a gay season is ex-
pected when once the social pro-
gramme is taken up. DR.. Depew will
be assisted in bis receptions by his
neice, Miss Pau.ding, his wife having
died a number of years ago. Mr.. and
Mrs. John Mclean are soon to give
a musicale in honor of Admiral and
Mrs. Dewey, the artist Of the event
being Nine: Sohumann-Heink, who
will be supported by several members
Of the Maurice Grau Opera Company.
General Miles and Mrs. Mics
have announccG;the date of. the ap-
preaching marriage of their daughter
to Col. Rcber, u. S. A, to be January
10th.
The debate on the currency bill
last week has demonstrated. one fact
quite conclnsively,. and that is that
"free silver" is dead issue. 1t was
not long ago that all party leaders
were declaring. their positive belief
in the infallibility of the Is to the
ory and that it would be the Chicago
platform next year without the
changing. of a letter, and that the re-
nominations ofMr. Bryan would be
by acclamation, but the last election
evidently caused the silver contingent
to halt, aud the large detection when
the currency bill is about to be put.
to Il vote has brought about demoral-
ization. There is no doubt of the
passage of the currency bill as framed
by Republicans. Probably no less
than ten Democrats from New York
States delegation will support the
measure and there will also be votes
for it from the Democrats represent
ing districts in Pennsylvania, Mary
land, and Kentucky. So decisive an
effect has this recalcitrant attitude of
the gold Democrats brought about,
that the most ardent supporters of
Mr.. Bryan in the National Capital
are saying to themselves: "Can it be
possible that there must be a change
of issues if there is to be chance for
success next year!" Il is significant
straw in this connection that Repre-
sentative Sulzer, the Tammany cheif-
tain in the New York delegation, Ia
now advocating the "practical reaf-
firmation" Of the Chicago platform
for next year, whereas heretofore he
has been one of the most emphatic
spokesmen for the adoption of that
rotten structure in its entirety. The
cause tor all this faint-heartedness is
not hard to find. The speech of Mr..
Baily on Friday, in which he attempt
ed to combat the gold bill, was a vain
exposition of fallacies, the inanity of
which the logic of events has proved.
He attempted to show that the value