Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1899 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From our regular correspondent.) The mail of Southern Senators and Representatives is full of protests from ex-Confederate soldiers against the proposal of Senator Butler, of N. 0., to give them U. S. pensions. Senator Pascal presented a formal memorial to the Senate against the Butler idea, from tne Confederate veterans of Ocala, Fla. * ■ * * The House has administered its annual scare to the Civil Service Commission, and it was more real than usual. This time, the House, sitting as a committee of the whole, actually voted to strike out the appropriation for the Civil Service Commission, in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial bill. When the yea and nay vote was taken, however, the appropriation got a small majority, and this year’s scare was over. * * * There are reasons for the belief that his dickering with Aguinaldo cost E. Spencer Pratt, the position of U. S, Consul at Singapore, to which Robt. A. Mosley, jr., of Alabama, has been nominated. Pratt was largely responsible for Aguinaldo’s being taken to Manila by Admiral Dewey, a fact of which he boasted in recently published official correspondence. It is stated that Pratt resigned his position, but he was probably officially invited to do so.

Representative Bailey won his constitutional fight without a report from the House Judiciary Committee, although the members of the Committee are understood to be unanimous in the belief that the acceptance of a commission in the volunteer army, by a Representative, vacates his seat in the House. Czar Reed won Mr. Bailey’s fight for him, by refusing to certify the vouchers for the pay of the three members of the House who hold commissions.

The boys who tried to eat the “embalmed” beef issued to them in Cuba and Porto Rico will have to read the testimony of Algercontrolled army officers in order to find out what elegant beef that was, and how mistaken they were in finding fault with it. A man who was in both places and who knew what he was talking about remarked: “The testimony of some of these officers is quite as nauseating to me as that embalmed beef was.”

As a rule, democrats in Congress decline to discuss, for publication, the statement against silver and in favor of expansion, further than to say that they except Mr. Crok er’s assertion that the statement was made as his individual opinion; and that as such it is worth no more than the opinion of any other individual democrat of equal prominence. Privately, a number of them have expressed the opinion that so far as anything he can accomplish by going to the democratic National Convention, is concerned, Mr. Croker might just as well stay at home. * * *

Senator Mason fired an unexpected bomb-shell into the ranks of the Philippine annexationists when he offered his resolution, starting with a quotation from the Declaration of Independence—- “ Whereas, all just powers of government are derived from the consent of the government” —and declaring that the U. S. will not attempt to govern the people of any other country without the consent of the people themselves or subject them by force to our dominion against their will. Unless the attitude of Aguinaldo and his followers changes widely from what the latest official advices state it to be, we have got to govern them by force or not at all. ***

No one doubts that the treaty of Peace, which went to the Senate last week, will in due time receive the necessary number of votes to ratify it, with a number to spare, but it does not necessarily follow that tl se Senate will, in the mean* time, consent to be muzzled. This was fnlly demonstrate il when the Senate adopted, over the vigorous protest of Senator Da vs, Chairman of tho Committee on Foreign Relations, and lute a Pence Commissioner, Senate r Hoars resolution calling ujkm the i rivuh nt, if not incomputable with public interests, to sen 1 *o the Senate copies of all '<-••>.. ■ -m-e with the Commir r ! 1 stay in Parip t ‘he {rront > „(■*,.! Jir Iris iuf( * \ * the treaty. * * *

• f Senator Caffrey, of La., and Representative Swanson, of made speeches in support of Senator Vest’s resolution, declaring a colonial system to be prohibited by the u. S. constitution Wr Swanson, after pointing out that, in his opinion, the trade advantages we would secure by the annexation of the Philippines, would not begin to balanoe the expense of keeping them, stated his belief that the main support of the imperialistic policy came from those who are working to bring about an offensive and defensive alliance between the U. S. and Great Britain. Senator Caffrey’s speech was a reply to that made before the holiday recess by Senator Platt of Conn. He said: “Here the bold proposition is advanced that the right to govern is broad and imperial and without limitation by our Constitution. If the argument advanced by the Senator from Conneticut be true and sound, then the individual rights of man are to be held by the U. S. under a Congressional despotism. Our Constitution knows no despotisms; it sedulously provides against despotism; but right here is a despotism of the most flagrant character possible.”