Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-07-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON Jn1v 1qU

nASdlNGIONj July L, 1JO1
Goldman afraid of the pension-question'
is the new name that has been given Mr..
Mckinley because of his hesitation to
declare himself for or against the admins
tration Of the pension bureau by Com
missioner Evans The question has beeni
forced to the front by the demand of the
opponents of Commissioner Evans that the
ante-election promise made them that a
new Commissioner of Pensions would be
appointed, shall be lived up to, and there
seems no way for Mr.. Mckinley to dodge
the issue, much as he would like to do so.
Evans, who has been quiet during previous
attacks upon him, is now fighting back, and
emphasizing his claim that the luminosity
against him has all been stirred up by those
who are DESTROYS of construction Of the
pension laws, which will add millions to
the annual pension payment OF the country,
and incidentally give fortunes in fees to
ring of pension attorneys. 1t is no secret
in Washington that Mr.. Mckinley per-
sonally believes that he should stand by
Evans, but he is being urged to the con-
trary course by some OF the men who have
before now coerced him into doing things
against his best judgement, and the result
is an aggravated attack Of his old trouble
ing the fight against Evans, has made pub
lie a letter from Senator Scott, of West
Virginia, in the name of the Republican
National Committee telling him that he
could assure the G.. A. R. men that Evans
would not be kept at the head Of the Pen
sion Bureau, and added that Mr. Mckinley
not only told him the same thing, but
confdentially gave him the name of the
bod Tod IN,
Evans. Gen. Sickles added significantly:
eff Evans is not removed there will be
music" Will Mr.. Mckinley face that
music or will he fire Evans That is the
question of the hour in Washington.
Senator Quay has known for long time
that Mr. Mckinley was neither an admirer
of himself nor of the particular methods of
his followers in Pennsylvania politics, but
that knowledge did not prevent his request
ing Mn. Mckinley to prevent Postmaster
General Smith from taking an active part
in the reform campaign against the Quay
ties in Philadelphia campaign that A.
K Mcclure, the veteran editor, declares to
be simply a fight of honesty against whole
sale thievery. Inasmuch as Mr.. Smith
became Postmaster General against the
protest of Quay, and has never ceased in
i
Presto oppose Quay and Quayism, it is
not probable that Mr.. Mckinley will at
tempt to interfere and if Quay gets other
Republicans of prominence to join him in
protesting against Mr.. Smiths participa-
ton in the Philadelphia campaign, Mr..
Mckinley can fall back on Mr. Smith IS
own declaration-s'I do not participate in
this movement as a member of the Cabinet,
but simply as citizen of Philadelphia
There is no politics in this movement. 1t
is simply matter of public and personal
safety.
Secretary Root has an opportunity to test
the capacity of the Cubans for self-govern-
ment, in advance of the establishment of a
Cuban government. But as the suggestion
comes from Gen. Miles, whose suggestions
have been regularly turned down by the
administration, the opportunity is not
likely to be accepted. Gen. Miles thinks
this may be done by Immediately with
drawing our troops from the island, and
that the work largely police duty, now
performed by the troops, be turned over to
the Cubans, and has officially recommended
one-half of the United States troops now in
Cuba-about 5, ZOO in all-be at once order
ed home.
1t had been limited around Washington
for some time that ex-Secretary and ex-
Representative Herbert, Of Alabama, who
has been at the head of Washington law
firm which makes a speciality of claims
against the government, since he retired
from the Cleveland Cabinet, had been per-
suaded to undertake the job Of trying to
McLaurinize Alabama. His speech before
the Alabama State Bar Association was his
first public step in that direction. 1t did
not excite as much interest among Demo-
Gratis around Washington as might have
been expected. Judge Springer, who was
in the House with Mr.. Herbert, and knows
him well, came very near to voicing the
general Democratic sentiment, when he
said 'sex-Seeretary Herbert's speech before
the Alabama Bar Association should cause
no uneasiness nor create any surprise
among Democrats Herbert has been out
side the pale of Democracy since 1896. He
supported Mckinley in the last two cam
paigns, and like others calling themselves
Democrats, he has been only awaiting an
opportunity to go over to the Republican