Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-06-24
from our regular correspondent }

! Tynsr Appeals for Clsmsncy - Edison
| Charges Incompetence in Patent Office.
tFrom our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, ID. c., June l6.
The political pot boils fiercely and
bubbles freely. This city is still vir-
tually the headquarters OF both parties
yesterday dropped in to the suite of
rooms az the Riggs House where Con.
gresham Cowherd of Kansas City
guides the larger movements of the
Democratic party. Other prominent
Congressman were there, talking over
the situation. Its dollars to dough-
nuts that we win," said Senator who
is in the city almost every week, Z" il
the quarrels of the Republicans in sew.
eral OF the pivotal States can be kept
up till election day. Spooner's boiling
his party ticket in Wisconsin will give
us thirty or forty assembly districts,
and we shall probably be able to elect
a successor to Senator Quarlees. And
the quarrels may give us the vote of
Wisconsin for President, too, for it
will mix up the electoral ticket in a
way to confuse the voters. Thirteen
votes in the electoral college are worth
going for"
1t is undeniable that the Republican
faction fights in Wisconsin, Illinois,
Missouri, Ohio, Delaware and West
Virginia give the Democrats comfort !;
but they are made very thoughtful
over the big Republican majority in
Oregon. Several prominent men here
agreed yesterday that Oregon's show
ing presages Democratic defeat unless
the party puts to the front it's very
strongest man. He must be a con-
sentative man and an experienced man,
and he should be distinguished man.
This is description of three or four
possible candidates but the choice
cannot be made at random. A sensa.
ton is created here by Col. Bryan's
letter in which he denounces "the
burglsrious methods which are now
being employed to foist upon the party
a speechless candidate and meaning
less platform" If l were to repeat
here what l yesterday heard Demo-
cratic Congressman say about it, your
paper would be forbidden the mails.
Local comment gathers about the
quarrel between the Daily Post Gre
publican) and Pension Commissioner
Ware. The Post charged that the
Commissioner was rsilroading old.age
pensions through for veterans in GER
tain doubtful States. This assertion
from a paper that generally supports
the administration, produced astonish-
ment. Yesterday the Commissioner
in presence of his staff accused the
Post with lying about him, and attrib-
uted the attack to the fact that he had
reduced an incompetent clerk who had
a relative on the Post. The paper de.
scribes the scene: "He raved about
the article; told story which can be
nothing but offensive to the italian
government if it be noticed; men.
toned the name of . young lady in q
way that would hardly be tolerated
among bar-room loafers, and ascribed
the article about his bureau to Spite"
Ware seems to have alluded to Italians
as "dagoes" and alleged that the at
tack of the Post would give him ga
million defenders in the United States"
Your correspondent was not present,
but the disbnrser of pensions must
have been very angry. The Post re-
turns to the charge and bitterly assails
the Commissioner. 1t is a very pretty
quarrel as it stands between the Presi.
dents conspicuous office-holder and
the paper which in its amiable mo-
ments has fed the President with taffy
and decorated his Office with its bou-
quets. The Post is the sblest paper in
Washington by all odds, and one OF
the best in the country, always enter
tanning, often witty, and sometimes
profound; but its owner is Frustrated
with paralysis and the gentlemen who
are lett on deck let the rudder flap
round . good deal. But meantime,
what will become OF Ware?
Mr.. Levi Il. Letter, who died at the
Vanderbilt cottage at Bar Harbor, was
laid to rest here on Tuesday in Rock
Creek cemetery. He was born in Lei
tersburg. near Antietsm. Maryland, in
1884. He began clerking in a country
store at 50 week. He went to Ohio
and got IS; then to Chicago where he
commanded IS. After becoming the
partner of Marshall Field, his rise was
rapid. His fortune grew with Chi
cago's wealth. He worked necessarily,
and prospered so that in 1898 he and
his son Joseph lost $4,000, 600 in the
wheat pit and had twice as much more
left.
The fact that Letter and his wife
were fairly we'll educated did not pro.
tect them from sneers. She has some.
times been called Mrs. Malaprop bv
those who we're jealous OF her. Letter
was plain, home-loving man, but his
wife early developed a towering ambi.
ton and resolve to storm the battle.
ments of "Society." They bought
the house here which was so expensive
that Blaine could not live in it, then
reared nearby palace of white brick
and marble, one of the most sumptu.
GUS of American mansions. Society
fiocked around them. Mary Letter,
then twenty, became the city's greatest
belle, on account of her beauty and
accomplishments, as we'll as her
wealth. In England George N. Cur.
zon captured her in 1895. She made
her husband millionaire and got him
appointed Viceroy of India. As Vicer.
cine Lady Curzon became the head of
Anglo-Indian society. performing regal
functions. receiving native princes, and
entering homes that are barred even
to King Edward. Her drawing rooms
were similar to those given in Buck
ingham Palace. The state balls we're
the most gorgeous in the world. It has
been reported that Miss Daisy Letter
is engaged to be married to Lord
Kitchener. All grocery clerks at 50 a
week should take courage from this
dramatic example of the Letter for.