Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-10-16
wAsHINGroN LETrER.


20 relieve an imaginary money string
ency. Since Septem Der 1st he has
placed SIS, 300 OF the public
money ia circulation. He has &C
complished this by depositing gov
ernuaent money in the national banks
70 the credit of the Secretary of the
Treasury aud by redeeming United
States bonds before they are due. 1t
is now announced that the Republi-
cans will appoint Joint committee
TO examine into the needs for cur
rency Legislation.
The negroes of the District of Co
lumbia continue to critlcise the Re-
publican party. At a recent meeting
at which many members of the Suf-
frage League were present, the presi-
dent of the league declared that the
colored people were going to create a
stir If their liberties were taken away
from them. Another speaker added,
"Let us not be led astray by talk of
industrial education, and holding of
property. If they can steal the bal
lot they can steal our property" VIM.
Calvin Chase said, eff the Repubh-
can party cannot prevent the repeal
Of the fifteenth amendment when it
is in power, let us no longer support
the party as we have done in the
past. They tell us we owe the Re-
publican party debt of gratitude.
In the name of all the gods haven't
we already paid that debt If Roose-
welt and his party cannot come to our
rescue l think that we should with
draw our support from them" This
and another indication show that the
Republican party cannot retain the
negro vote from mere gratitude for
the past fsvors.
Washington was startled last week
by the news that an armed lunatic
was arrested at the White House
where he had gone in vain attempt
to see the President. The watchman
expected him as be had sent his pho
tograph few days before to Secre-
tary Loeb in a letter asking for an
interview with President Roosevelt.
The police officers tried to induce
him to leave quietly but he refused,
and in dispute which followed he
became violent and drew revolver.
He was disarmed at once aud carried
to the police station. On his way
there his guard was quite severely
injured in the arm by the glass of
the window which was broken during
a scuffle. The police later learned
that the man was a Dane named
Peter Elliot and that he had lust
come to Washington from Minneap-
oils, where he had spent his time
trying to invent perpetual motion
machine. He was pronounced in-
sane and sent 10 an asylum. 1t was
also learned that on the preceding
Sunday he followed the President to
church and shook hands with him
after the service. This fact shows
the futilitv of the Presidents guard
for had Elliot so desired he might
have shot the President as he shook |
hands with him, though it is prob
able the President would have quickly |
disarmed him. The incident has
lead to another discussion of the
Chief Executives body guard. The
present secret men are detailed from |
the Treasury department without |
any special authority and, therefore,
regarded as a kind of make.shift. |
There is some talk of introducing
a bill at the next session providing |
for a regular guard detailed from the
War department. tits said that the
members of the Presidents cabinet
will advocate such a measure.
A little more than four months
ago Postmaster General Payne de-
clared in an interview that reports
OF scandals in the Post Office were
shot air" and stump speech" To-
day thirty persons, including form
er Postmaster General, four heads of |
and two assistant attorneys
of the Post Office, besides an ex-Oon-
New York state senator
and Pennsylvania mayor, stand in
dicted and awaiting trial for defraud-
ing the government through the
Post Office department. Against
one official fourteen indictments were
found, against another six and against
several Of them two or three. Last
week the Washington grand jury
was dismissed and its last act was 10
announce thirteen new indictments
against ten men. The trial of these
men will begin during the present
session Of the court and they are ex-
oected to drag along through the
winter and through next summer.
The frauds may be divided into
.hree classes; the taking of commits
ons on supplies purchased by the
department., the accepting of consid-
'rations in return for allowing fraud
iient concerns to use the mails and
he incorrect charging Of expense ac-
counts to the department. Among
he latest indictments the most inter
sting is that of Tyner. He is nearly
agility years old and has held high
in the Post Office depart /,
nent for many years. At one time
Turing the presidency of General
irant he was Postmaster General.
Before his recent dismissal he was
Assistant Attorney General for the
POST Office. AS such he was the
thief legal adviser to the department,
let he is the very one. who with his !
lephew-in-law Barrett, allowed the :
misuse of the mails oy "get-rich-
luick" concerns. The report of
'ourth Assistant Bristow will be
eady about October goth. 1t is said .
o consist of $50 typewriter pages.
his will practically end the investi- :
.ations, unless the Republicans carry
at their present intentions of calling
or a congressional investigation,
to forestall The Democrats Z