Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-08-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
lFrom our Regular Correspondents,

| WASHINGTON LETTER.
/ (From our Regular Correspondents
Washington, Aug. 12.-Real AZ
miral Robley d. 'Fight1n
Bob should, in the opinion of hi
friends, regard the letter of censur
written him by Acting Secretary Hack
| EFT, for telling the truth in his boo
about the manner in which "Littl
Billy" Chandler treated him becaus
he would not wink at4the dirty politi
cal bargains that Chandler made Will
be was Secretary of the Navy, as al
honor rather than a disgrace. Admira
Evans is a democrat. That was why
Chandler officially mistreated him, ant
that was why he found it so easy tt
get him censured by the present ad.
ministration. But there is another
reason why Admiral Evans should
consider this censure an honor. 1t was
given him for giving what everyone
knows to have been the truth, by q
Department which has not had one
word to say of the lying abuse of Rear
Admiral Schley, by one of its employees.
If Maclay has its approval, as he APP
pears to have, any honest man ought to
be proud to have the disapproval of the
Navy Department. as at present con
Quoted.
In official reports, just published by
the War Department., Gen. Chaffee
has written some very plain language
concerning "a scheme of settlement
for damages done by boxers to Chinese
4 II ,rr}fh ho A ~
can Congregational Mission submitted
to him by Minister COnger, asking
both a money and land indemnity
from the Chinese Government. 1t may
be inferred from the official expression
of his opinion which follows, that
Gen. Chaffee did not .. K. the scheme:
1.-The scheme of settlement, as it ap-
pears to me, is very much in the line
of business called Squeeze which we
hear great deal about1n China.
Col. &. B. Hoff, a prominent Ohio
politician, told the following story, in
Washington, to illustrate the differ-
ence between then and now in the Re-
publican party of Ohio: 1.-The solicit
tude Senator Hanna has lately shown
for the reelection OF Senator FOrker,
is in striking contrast to the attitude
the Junior Senator assumed toward his
present colleague before the Cleveland
man hal: political fish of his own to
fry. The late Col. A. l.. Conger, for
merlv National Committeeman, and
friend of James Ct. Blaine, told the
story in a series of public letters In
1897, at the time Mr.. Hanna was max
ing his campaign for election to tho
Senate, after having been appointed by
Gov. Bushnell to succeed John Shsr-
man. The chief evidence Of Hanna's
hatred for Foraker was shown during
one of the latter's campaigns for cleo
ton OF governOr-you will remember
that Foraker was three times a candl-
date for governor. Col. COnger was
Chairman of the State Committee and
Foraker 8 CLOSETS political friend. Ac-
cording to Col. COnger's story, as
Chairman of the State Committee, be
went to Cleveland and raised money
for the campaign, and among other
men saw Mr.. Hanna. Hanna was then
unknown in National politics, but he
was rich man and had been liberal
to campaign funds. When
on this occasion, however.
Col. Conger said, he announced that
he would give mot cent for Foraker,
his declaration being punctuated bv
adiectives both picturesque and ex-
pressive. To day, it is different. Han
ma has probably no more love for For
aker than be had when the latter want
ed to be governor, but the exigenc1es
of politics have compelled these ma
tural enemies to make their bed to-
gether, and thus there is harmony
among Buckeye Republicans.
The knights of Labor have combined
with the American Anti Trust League,
and employed well known Washing
ton lawyer to prepare plan for help.
ing the steel strikers by starting legal
proceedings against the steel trust I'M
der the antitrust laws of every state
in which it operates. Ex-Attorney-
General Monett, of Ohio, has been in
in starting these Organ1za-
tions after the big trusts. In a letter
to an official of one of them be said:
"You have the correct idea. Under
the Ohio Anti Trust Act we can reach
them in Ohio right now, both criminal
ly and civilly. We have the strongest
act under which to attack them of any
of the states except Texas. We can
fill the jails with yiolators of our anti
trust laws, as rapidly as they can Jail
workingmen for contempt" The out
come of this movement will be watch
ed with interest, both by the trusts
which are after everything, including
the freedom of the individual, and the
antitrust men who believe that it is
necessary to break the power of the
trusts In some way before they become
too strong to be broken by any other
means than brute force. The anti
trust men are also after Attorney-Gen-
eral Knox, to know why he doesn' t
proceed against the steel trust for hav-
ing violated the Sherman antitrust
law They may not succeed in max
ing do anything, but they will call
public attention to his failure to do
what he might.
Outside of those Interested in and
responsible for the job, for job 1t is,
even if little one, it is doubtful
whether single member of the last
Congress had any idea that the item in
the Agricultural bill. carrying an ap-
preparation of S20,0 900 for ''pomologi-
cal investigation" was an entering
wedge for the payment Of an export
fruit bounty of this government The
cat is now out of the bag and, in an
swer to letter from Secretary Will
son. the Comptroller of the Treasury
has decided that the money can be used
either to guarantee a minimum re
turn to fruit shippers or to defray .
whole or part of the transportation
charges-in other words it can be
used to pay bounty to the shippers
of American fruit who are fortunate
enough to be in the good graces o.
Secretary Wilson. The government
bounty idea has never been a popular
one in this country and, the admins
tration is likely to hear considerable
about this new bounty during the mex
session Of Congress.