Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1899 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

There is something decidedly suspicious in the news from the Philippines. Notaline of press news can be cabled from Manila until it has been approved fay the U. 8. Military Censor, and it ia not likely that he would approve anything the administration did not wish public. Hence, the publication of the statement that it wonid be impossible for Gen. Otis to conquer even the entire island of Luzon, not to mention the remainder of the group, so that it wonid stay conquered, without a large increase in his army, was allowed to pass the Censor for a purpose. Not being in the confidence of the administration, — few persons, even among the most prominent republicans, are—it cannot be positively stated what that purpose is, but the inference is that it is intended to pave the way for one of two things; a call for volunteers to re-inforce Otis, or to make the people of this country satisfied with some dicker that is abont to be made with the Filipinos, and which they would naturally be inclined to be dissatisfied with. The prepondeiance of opinion in Washington is that it means more volunteers. Orders have been sent to the civilian members of the Philippine Commission that they must do nothing to interfere with the military plans of Gen. Otis, which is confirmation of the reported wrangles in the Commission. # * * After holding it back for many months, Mr. McKinley has issued his much advertised order modifying the civil serviee rules. It doesn’t appear to please anybody overmuch. It excepts a total of somewhere in the neighborhood of four thousand places from the operation of the civil service rule, but as most of those places are already filled by republicans, it will make comparatively little new patronage for the republican leaders. It doesn’t touch the Government printing office, which so many republicans have been trying so hard to get thrown open to them. So far as the party workers are concerned, the order is likely to do more harm than good to the republican party. * * * Representative Dalzell, of Pennsylvania, who stands about as much show as Payne, the New York, anti-Platt candidate, dropped into Washington a day or two ago and announced that he was a candidate for Speaker. He oonld not control three votes in the Pennsylvania delegation, coanting his own, to save his neck, Bingham is the dummy candidate of the Pennsplvania delegation, and will remain such until Quay decides who shall get these votes.

* * * No surprise was caused in Washington by Senator Platt’s flat-foot-ed declaration that McKinley and Hobart would be renominated. So far as McKinley is concerned, Platt has been mortgaged since early in the present administration; his endorsement of Hobart means that if he ever had any idea of helping to get Roosevelt second place on the ticket, it has been abandoned, but whether because he wasn’t pleased with Roosevelt or whether the latter wasn’tpleased with the idea of second place, is a matter of conjecture, but the former is more likely to be true. The declaration of Senator Penrose, who is Bees Quay’s man and mouth-piece, in favor of McKinley’s renomination is nothing more than a bid for administration help for Quay in his contest to get his seat in the senate. This was doubtless ideasing to Mr. McKinley, whether he means to help Quay or not, as he found Quay decidedly “uppish” towards the administration while he was in the Senate. * * * The administration was very particular to have the widest circulation given to the report of the Beef Court of Inquiry, but it has now discovered that all of the $200,000 set aside to pay for the Inquiry has been used up, and has ordered work stopped on the printing of the testimony, upon which that report was supposed to be based, after it had all been in type. It has all along been contended by many that the administration never intended to make the testimony public, and this action makes it look as though that contention was correct. ’■ * * Secretary Alger has been putting his foot in it again. Several days ago, he caused an order to be issued by the War Department, instructing the Military authorities in Cuba to give clearauces to Cuban vessels under the Cuban flag, and at the same time stating that the vessels flying the Cuban flag would not be under the American protection. As there is no Cuban government, there can be no recognized Cuban flag; hence the order

strik th ■ iiidicpeeled, win knock the order o«L It might answer for Caban rereels onn port tiMmotirr. port outside of Cota, the meefeen of soch vessels would be at anybody’s mercy; they would have wo Consul to to In case of unjust treatment of any sort, and no standing in any conit of Admiralty. Alger’s speciality appenim to be doing the wrong thing. • * a The Dewey Home fund isn’t growing as fast as it might. It did not reach a total of $5,000 until Monday. Unless it gets a move on, it will not be big enough to buys Washington House by the time Dewey gets home.