El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-08

the plea that it wasn't businesSlike.
Washington believes in holidays as
matter of principle and the half day
off before a regular holiday, such as
Thanksgiving. Christmas and New
Years-originally given to let the
clerks have a chance to buy turkey
and make preparationS-was very dear
to us all. This administration has been
markedly illiberal in the matter of
holidays. even refusing to close up
the departments on the death of ex-
secretaries. AS for ST. Patrick's day
and occasions like that, they have paid
absolutely no attention to them al
though most of us feel aggrieved at
having to work at ST. PatrickS day 1
do-in fact object to working between
meals any day.
The Democratic Plan.
Party politics is practically QuieS-
cent. The democrats are still daZed by
their defeat and are given up to vain
repining and mutual Squabbles. where
fore they are not enthusiastic about
planning a campaign. AS matter of
fact there is no particular use. If they
turned obstructionists at this short
session they would simply shove things
over to the next congress which will
be much more republican. Therefore
their program, in so far as they have
any, is to sit back and find fault. but
not to offer active Opposition Allen
and Pettigrew having now a personal
grudge against Hanna will make things
as lively as possible in the short time
remaining to them, but then they al
ways strain their abilities that way
to the limit anyhow
A Startling Story of Two Sly Turks.
Some picturesque little scandals are
developing about the Turkish diplo-
mats in this country. They rarely get
paid-that is not a Turkish habit
and they have to find subsistence by
the way. However they are good
grazers. The late minister used to exc
out his salary along at first by playing
poker. He had harem with a normal
appetite for confectionery and other
necessities of life, so it behooved him
to do something However he happen
ed to squeeze some of the men of the
British legation unduly and they squat
ed. which resulted in his recall. On
his way back he stopped in Paris and
published a nvely tragedy. full of up
to-date auusions. in Turkish. The sui
tan got copy and read it. Then the
minister came back here again and the
tragedy was suppressed. This time he
was given more money, and was re-
quested to hunt up the writer of some
libels on the sultan then appearing
in AL Ayab. a New York paper which
| is sustained by the Turkish revolu-
tionary party. He sublet the contract
to the New York consul general whose
salary was badly in arrears, instruct
ing him to bride or otherwise suppress
the author of the Objectionable matter
The consul felt quite sure he could find
the man and square him-if he received
the money in advance. He did and then
confessed mat he himself was the miss
ing link In view of his own recent per-
formances, this amused the minister
and he and the consul cooked up some
further schemes for getting more mon
ey out of the home Office for detective
fees They worked. Then the consul
got ambitious and wrote home that he
had discovered sundry deadly plots in
New York. furnishing evidence thereof
by putting the Turkish officials at
Smyrna on the trail of some conSign-
ments of arms and ammunitions sur
Ireptitiously sent to Asia Minor. They
found the arms all right-the consul
had just sent them himself-and the
gulieless Turkish foreign office began
contributing literally to more detec-
tive expenses. Then the revolutionary
party began to get tired and exposed
Tie minister and consul who have now
gone home in a hurry. Mora1-there
isn't any.
The Treasury Balance.
If Mr.. Bryan's theories are correct
and gold is steadily increasing in val
ne, Uncle Sam Is playing In big luck