The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1900-09-13
Washington Letter.

The presidents letter of acceptance
now holds the center of the political
stage. Opinion differs, of course, as to
It's merits, but 1t Is admitted by his op-
ponents, as well as his supporters, that
the president has shown that he possesses
the courage OF his convictions in discuss.
ing the important issues of the campaign.
The letter contains no lodges. 1t as
sumes the responsibility for what has
been done, and argues that the work of
the administration has been such as to
deserve a. continuance Ia power of the
party It represents. The arguments, be-
ing from the republican point of view, are
naturally not accepted by the opponents
of that party, although no one questions
the adroitness with which they are put.
In these days, when men form their opin-
ion of public policies from the newspaper
accounts of the carrying out of those pol
icies, it Is doubtful whether such docu-
ments as candidates letters of acceptance
ever change any votes. In fact, they are
not written with that expectation; they
are written as guides for the writer's and
speakers of the candidates party-fur-
nishing the party keynotes of the cam
paign. In this letter Mr.. Mckinley has
done for his party what Mr.. Bryan's
speeches and letter of acceptance have
been doing and will do for his party work
ers-furnishes them the information need
ed to keep in touch with their leaders.
So far as this government is concerned
the situation in China has not changed
during the past week. The powers have
been informed what we intend to do, and
we are waiting for them to give us some
information about their intentions, and
they do not appear to be in the slightest
hurry to do it. The latest hint of this
government was to order Gen. Chaffee to
hold himself In constant readiness to leave
Pekin. The president, accompanied by
Mr.. Mckinley, has gone to Somerset,
Pa, to see their niece married, and from
there they will go to Canton, unless some
change In the situation in China makes
the presidents presence In Washington
necessary. The idea prevails in official
circles that 1t may be several weeks be-
fore 1t is known whether the powers can
agree upon Chinese program.
The post Office department has issued
fraud order against L. ID. Bass, 3422 Gen.
ter street, NV, Washington, ID. c., and
the so-called agencies conducted by him
known as the American Teachers Agency
and the American Civil Service College,
and directed the postmaster at Washing
ton to return all mail address to either to
the writer's, after stamping it ''fraudu-
lent" Bass has been in trouble before
for the same reason. The advertising
matter of his alleged Civil Service Col
lege was so worded as to leave the i'm
preston that he had big pull with the
civil service commission, which always
| appointed those recommended by him.
Swindling person under the pretense Of
securing them positions Is pretty low
down In the scale of crime, but it is grow
ing very common. The postal authori-
ties can only act when proof of the swim
die Is obtained, and the unwillingness of
victims to acknowledge that they have
allowed themselves to be robbed makes
that difficult and often impossible TO OBJ
tain. The best preventative of this sort
of swindling Is the adoption of an IRON
clad rule to have no money dealings with
concerns which cannot furnish indisputa-
| bic evidence-bank or commercial agency
reference-of responsibility.
The general tendency TO distrust the
Chinese has extended to the immigration
bureau OF the treasury department, which
now employs Chinese as interpreters, but
hopes to get some of the returned white
missionaries from China to take their
places at an early day. One official of
that bureau said: 1--WE are very anxious
to get white men as Chinese interpreters.
| We want about seven-two for San Fran
cisco, one for Malone, one for New York,
one for Boston, and two for the Canadian
border. We can keep our fingers on a