The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-29
DUNBAR'S MISSION
At WASHINGTON
Hard Fight to Straighten Out
Clerks Fees.
WALKER SITE CONTEST
REPUBLICAN PARTY MAKING &
BAD RECORD.

D. G. Dunbar returned home yester-
day morning from the east, where he
had been making a prolonged stay,
most of the time in Washington. D. G.
His chief business in the east was to
secure a settlement by the govern
ment of the matter relating to the fees
of the clerks in the United States ter
ritorial court up to the time of the
admission of Utah to statehood The
matter had been hanging fire ever
since the state was admitted and suits
in the courts were pending against the
four men who had served as clerk. ag
gregating $4,000. In addition to this.
there was ABOUT $4,000 still coming
TO the four from the government in
the way of fees that had never been
paid. The four who had served in the
capacity of clerk Of the territorial
court are Dunbar, Foreman and Nc
MILAN of Utah, and Mcclure, now OF
Michigan.
II secured the passage of a bill
through congress settling the matter,
after much hard work. Mr.. Dunbar
said, but it was turned down by
Comptroller of the Treasury Trace
well. who seems to be a bigger man in
Washington than the president him
self. But he turned it down on some
technical point and then we had all
the work to do over again. Another
bill was pushed through congress to
meet the objections of Traceweu, and
just squeezed through in the last hours
of congress This SIMPLIFY provides for
the settling with the clerks who served
in Utah on the same basis as settle
ment was made with the clerks of the
rest of the country. / never worked
harder in my life on any proposition
and am naturally glad that the matter
is settled
Exposition Commissionership.
Mr.. Dunbar was asked as TO his can
didacy for the appointment as one of
the commissioners of the St. Louis fair.
oh" he said, there was not much
to that. Judge King kindly suggested
that i enter the race as there was no
candidate from the Rocky mountain
region Congressman Tawney, who is
a social friend of mine and who was
chairman of the committee having that
matter in charge, informed me that it
was President McKinley's intention to
distribute the nine commissioners over
the country and appoint five Repub-
licans and four Democrats, and he
thought this section of the country
would get one of the places. On this
understanding l consented to be a can
didate, and Judge King succeeded in
securing endorsements for me from
most of the congressman and senator's
had many other strong endorsements,
but on the day that my papers were
sent to the president 1 learned that
ex-senator Carter OF Montana was out
for the position, and / knew that I
had no chance against him and paid
no more attention to the matter.
Mr.. Dunbar was asked why he
fought for the Walker site for the fed
eral building, safter signing a petition
for another site and when all his prop
erty interests were in another direc-
ton.
"All the opponents to the Walker
site could hope to accomplish was to
defeat the additional appropriation of
S2O0, 900. The $500 900 had been appro-
priated by congress and the site for
the building had been selected by the
treasury department. II the Omnibus
bilP had been defeated the government
would have gone ahead and put up
SSVO,Ooo building ON the Walker site.
Ihis was as plain as the nose on your
face. and simply made the fight 1 did
TO secure the extra $500, O0O.''
Political Conditions.
As to politics in washington, Mr.
Dunbar said the prospects were bright
ening up every day for the Democrats.
The fearful expenditures of the
last session OF congress, over $3.50, 000 900,
and the narrow escape from the $40. OO0,-
600 river and harbor bill and the ship
subsidy steal, is a heavy load for the
Republicans to carry before the peo-
pie. Then it is certain that the adj
Ininistration will have to have a special
session OF congress TO patch up the
weak places and an extra session never
fails to wreck e party"
The Democratic party is showing
some of it's wonderful Gecuperative
powers and from present indications
in Washington will toe the mark in far
better condition than its adversary.
There is much talk already among
long-headed Democrats in favor of Hill
or German for the next leader. and
1t looks as if there would be com
bination made between the east and
south before the next lineup