Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1899 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From oar regular correspondent.) “End the war in the Philippines speedily, or the result will he disastrous to von and to the republican party.” That is the sum and substance of what is being daily dinned into the ears of Mr. McKinley, not by his opponents, but by leading republicans, who know how unpopular that war is becoming all over the country. Mr. McKinley is gradually becoming convinced that the reaction in public sentiment concerning his Philippine policy, predicted more than a year ago by Col. Bryan, is at hand, and once fully convinced, there is no telling what he may do, for this country has never had a President who feared the public sentiment of the country as much as Mr. McKinley does, or who tried so hard to make his official acts meet its approval, regardless of his own opinion. t t The most striking thing connected with the hearing on trusts, by the Industrial Commission, was a daring and somewhat scandalous attack upon Vice-Chairman Philips of the Commission, who is connected with an independent oil company in Pennsylvania, by officials of the Standard Oil Trust. Mr. Philips denied the charge that he had been mixed up in an offer to dicker with the Standard Oil Trust, but the charge left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth, and is not calculated to add anything to the prestige of the Commission, which isn’t any too great at best.

Senator Stewart is a fine specimen of stalwart radicalism in all his views. He never trims on any question, and conservatism is unknown to his mind. He has got it in for France for several reasons, the latest of which is the second conviction of Dreyfus, and says that country really has no government at all, and that we should break off diplomatic relations until France gets a government. The Senator threatens to offer a joint resolution to that effect when Congress meets; also a bill repealing all official recognition of the exposition at Paris, next year. t t The administration appears to be still determined to leave Gen. Otis in supreme command in the Philippines, although Secretary Root is understood to have recommended a change, and to favor sending Gen. Miles over there. There is politics in this determination, and it isn’t the sort of politics that reflects any credit upon Mr. McKinley. The Hanna crowd are afraid of Miles now, and if he should go to the Philippines and do what Otis has so signally failed to do, they would fear him still more. They know that Otis is not likely, under any circumstances, to develop popularity enough to make him a political rival of McKinley. That is why they wish to keep Otis in command, notwithstanding the overwhelming evidences from all sources, of his unfitness, not to call it by a harsher term. The agent of the nonpartisan Associated Press, in a long letter from Manila, just published, after going into details, showing the failure of Otis, sums up by saying: “The secret of the whole trouble here is that the government has left a small man to deal with a most delicate problem, requiring broad statesmanship. Everyone agrees that Otis is honest, and that counts for much in a position affording such chances for dishonesty, but everyone agrees also with the most remarkable unanimity, that he has bungled affairs from the beginning.”

It is evident to even the most casual observer of those political currents which are to be found by those who know how, just below the surface of party waters, that .the republican leaders are carefully paving the way to drop Mr. Hobart if they shall consider it expedient to do so. The state of Mr. Hobart’s health is made the basis of all these preparatory stories. If it doesn’t improve, “his family will have to veto the idea of his remaining in politics” etc. This is all tommyrot. Mr. Hobart has shown upon several occasions, during the last three rtjßonths, notably by his getting Alger to resign, that his health is good enough to do what other men, not on the sick list, failed to do. His “health” is likely to remain in a precarious condition, until Boss Hanna has fully made up his mind whether it will be best to have him run again with Mr. McKinley, and he isn’t likely to fully decide until the National Convention meets. Then Mr. Hobart’s health will take a good or bad tarn* jn accordance with Hanna’s decision. t t After wobbling around the quea-

tion for about two weeks, the War Department, under political pressure, issued the order for the enlistment of two negro regiments for the Philippines. They will bring the volunteer army up to the limit set by Congress, which it has been clear from the first that the administration intended to do. Col. W. J. Bryan was unanimously elected a member of the Council of Administration, of the Spanish War Veterans Association, which has just closed its first encampment, in Washington, although he did not attend the encampment. Ex-Gov. Oates, of Ala., was also elected a member of the Council, as was H. H. Blunt, a Louisiana negro, who was a Lieut, in the 9th Immunes. Gen. J. W. Keifer, of Ohio, was elected Com-mander-in-Chief of the new organization, which hopes ultimately to embrace all the state organizations of Spanish War Veterans which have been formed.