Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-07-26

VI thS DShoaidue NoiiiihdtiUH Tor PfCSiOCnt.
Dan Lamont is Mentioned as Dark Horse?
Men are Carried on the House Payroll, Who
Never Come to the National Capital to Per-
form Service for which Salaries are Nailed to
Thsm-lt is the 100000 Unexpected Bal.
ance that Makes Pension Sharks Snap Their
Teeth for Removal of Commissioner Evans
A Place Found for y-Reprsscntative
Hooker of Mississippi Insists Upon the Silver
lssue-The Law Has Been Broad Enough all
Along to Have Downed the Second Class"
Mail.Matter Frauds.
From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 10, 1901.
Has New York new Democratic
candidate for the Presidential nomina-
ton? That question is being asked
in Washington, since a prominent
New York Democrat dropped a quiet
hint that Col. Dan Lamont, who was
Mr.. Cleveland's private secretary dur
ing his first administration and Secre-
tary OF War during his second, and
who has since been associated with
ex-Secretary Whitney in various big
business enterprises, might become
Democratic candidate for Governor of
New York, and if elected would be-
come candidate for the Presidential
nomination. OF course, there are
some substantial offs" to be consid.
cred in connection with this matter,
but the whole Presidential question is
one of offs" at this time. There are
several reasons why Dan Lamont
would make strong candidate for
any position he might aspire to.
First and foremost is his personal pop
ularitv-a man who could spend eight
years in Washington as prominently
associated with administrations as he
was with those of Cleveland without
making an enemy, as Dan Lamont
did, must necessarily be a remarkable
sort OF man. The next reason in
Importance is that he would have the
advice and active assistance of Will
liam G. Whitney, who has shown him
self to be one of the shrewdest politi-
cal managers the country has or has
ever had. This thing may be no
more than the idle talk of a summer
day, but if Dan Lamont becomes a
candidate for the Democratic nominal
ton for Governor of New York, he
will get it, and he would probably be
elected, and that would naturally
make him Presidential possibility.
There is little that is new in the ex-
posure of the methods followed in the
distribution of the patronage of the
House, made this week by the Nation
al Civil Service Reform League, but it
is none the less disgraceful to the Re-
publican majority of that body, which
allows the stealing, for that is the
proper name for receiving money and
giving no pretense OF return for it.
Men are carried on the Houee payroll
who never even come to Washington,
but have checks for their salaries
mailed to them, and others draw sala.
ries for work which they have others
to do, paying them only a small frac-
ton of what they receive. The pat
ronage of the House is not under the
civil service law. 1t is controlled ab.
solutely by the will of the majority,
and that majority should be held re-
sponsible for the willful waste of the
peoples money, and especially those
members who have held up the officers
OF the House and demanded that sala-
ries be provided for their favorites
should be held up to the public con-
tempt they so richly deserve. The
weak spot ia the long and detailed ex-
posture is the careful avoidance of put
ting in the names OF looting Congress-
men. This avoidance is so palpable
that it is clearly intentional. Names
are given in plenty, but they are those
OF the little rascals. A proper expos
ure would have given the names of
those who made the rascality possible,
but perhaps the gentlemen who made
the investigation were little bit
afraid to attack the Congressman by
name.
Probably il Commissioner Evans
had made rulings that would have in
volved the paying out OF the $685.
5o5.S9. unexpended balance of the
$l44 100000 appropriated by Congress
for pensions, which he has turned
back into the Treasury, the ring of
pension sharks would have been less
persistent in their demands for new
Commissioners of Pensions.
The administration has at last
found place for Col. John S. Mosby
as special agent of the General Land
Office. 1t isn't a very big place, but il
is understood that the necessities of
Col. Mosby had become so pressing
that he received the appointment with
thanks.
Representative Hooker, of Missis-
sippi. who passed through Washington
this week, does not endorse the idea of
dropping silver. and he strongly dep
recates the fight that is being made
on Mr.. Bryan. He said: "Silver has
been part of the worlds money since
the earliest dawn of recorded history.
since Abraham paid 500 pieces of sill
yer for the land in which to bury his
wife Sarah. And why should there be
this uproar against Mr.. Bryan? He
''sS NV OSOh iOiSiuS OIl Cue
American people since the last cleo
ton. 1t was his privilege to take up
newspaper work. He had to do some
thing to support himself and his fam
lily. and has been going about it in a
dignified manner. / served in Con-
gress with Mr.. Bryan. and there / |
gained high regard for his ability"
The long-talked-of order OF the Post
master General regulating second
class mail was issued this week. 1t
doesn't regulate anything, unless it be
the consciences of the postal officials
who have winked at evasions of the
law governing second-class mail. It
merely provides for an enforcement of
the law, which the Postmaster General
and every one Of his subordinates have
all along been under oath to support.
If this order is strictly enforced it will
simply prove what has been as plain
IS the nose on your face that there
was plenty of law to shut fake publ
cations ont of second-clasa mail opd |