Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1898 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From our regular correspondent.) Gen. Shafter, who came to Washington under orders s from Mr. McKinley, called on 1 Gen. Miles, at his office in the War Department, but it was a duty call upon his commanding officer and not a social call. Gen. Shafter absolutely declines to talk for publication, but it is an open secret that he has got it in for Miles, because of his taking the recently published interview with Miles to mean an attempt to deprive him of the credit of conducting the Santiago campaign. Miles is ticluled to death over the investigation, and, if allowed, will render valuable aid in getting at the truth. * * * The news received at the headquarters of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee gets more encouraging every day. Jn many Districts that were some time ago put in the republican column by a small margin, or were considered doubtful, the democrats are now confident of winning. There is a feeling among democrats that the House can be captured, and a determination to ao it. In a number of states the republicans are divided into factions, which will add to the chances pf electing democrats in Congressional districts noW represented by republicans. The republicans are dropping their boastfnl attitude, and instead of talking of increasing their majority in the House, as they were doing a little while back, they are talking of trying to hold their own, and sending out appeals to the factions in a number of states, to get together. Ml

There are not many shrewder Siliticians in the country than Mr. cKinley, and he hasn’t displayed a slicker bit of his shrewdness lately than in taking three oat of the five Peace Commissioners from the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which most approve the treaty that will be made by the Commission if it is to have any chance to be ratified by the Senate. Senators Davis and Frye are depended upon to get all the republican Senators to support the treaty, and Senator Gray is expected to get enough democratic Senators to make up the requisite two-thirds. Secretary Day is on the Commission, solely to be Mr. McKinley’s mouth-piece, as he has been at the head of the Department of State; Whitelaw Reid was selected—well, nobody knows what in the deuce he was selected for, unless it was to show Boss Platt that his protests did not always count. The Commissioners are to meet Mr. McKinley this week, previous to sailing for Europe next Saturday. According to current gossip, the administration will only ask for one island — Luzon—in the Philippine group.

* * * Mr. McKinley has been convinced by official evidence and the advice of some of his long-headed friends, that he could not afford to continue to ignore the charges of mismanagement made against the war department, thus virtually himself assuming responsibility for what Secretary Alger has done, and more especially what he has left undone in looking after the health of the soldiers, and has allowed the announcement to be made that he would appoint -a Commission of eminent men, whose report will*enjoy the confithe country, to investigate the entire conduct of the war. Secretary Alger, who had repeatedly said that no investigation was needed, was compelled, before he left Washington, on an inspection tour of the camps and hospitals, which, by the way, he was also compelled to make, to write a letter to Mr. McKinley asking that an investigation be made. If senators and representatives, who have been in W ashington during the last few days correctly represent the views of congress, there will also bo a congressional investigation, regardless of what the Commission, to be appointed by Mr. McKinley, may do. The desire to get at the truth, regardless of who it may hurt—to place the responsibility for the death and semi-starvation of so many volunteers, and to punish the guilty---is growing every day, and will continue to grow until the truth and the whole truth shall be known. The official report of a military Commission, which investigated charges against those in charge of Camp Thomas, at Chickamgua, found the charges true, and placed the responsibility upon Maj. Gen. Brooke, his Surgeons and a lot of hospital contractors. This report says: “We can find no reasonable excuse for the lack of supplies, which could have been easily obtained, and were not, by those responsible, and they should be held strictly responsible!” There is more of the same sort, end this report was not signed by tbs

correspondents of “sensational newspapers,” but by Milo B. Ward, Major and Brigade Surgeon; James J. Johnson, Major 2d Arkansas Volunteers, and Emil S. Hellbum, Major 2d Kentucky Volunteers, and is now in the hands of Maj. Gen. Breckenridge. It is no wonder that sporting men are offering odds that Alger will have to go.