Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1907 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

Political and General Gossip of the National Capital. Special Correspondence to The Democrat. After much manuveriug and personal fighting within the ranks it is practically assured that the friends of Champ Clark, of Missouri, will select him as the minority House leader over John Sharpe Williams, of Mississippi, who now occupies that position. This is the culmination of a long and bitter personal contest of which the public has beard little, but which has been none the less active for that. The scheme was on foot to oust Mr. Williams from the minority leadership at the last session of Congress, but the ruction between him and Lamar of Florida brought the contest to an untimely head and ended it temporarily. Now, however, the friends of Mr. Clark claim that they have secured the votes to elect him as minority leader at the democratic caucus which will be held when Congress opens at the next session. There is no question among either the friends or enemies of John Sharpe Williams that he is eloquent and witty and has made an able minority leader, but bis oponents claim that bis leadership has been too much of the one man power type that has tended to stifle individuality. They expect to have better opportunity under the leadership of the gentleman from Missouri. t t t

Assistant Attorney Gener a 1 Purdy has returned from Brownsville where he has gone over in company with Major Bloxsom all the evidence that could be gathered concerning the riot in Brownsville on the night of August 13th. His report will be put in the shape of a message by the President and transmitted to Congress as soon as possible. It is not known what effect, if any, it will have on the Foraker resolutin, a vote on which may be taken before the message is received. It is understood, however, that Mr. Purdy has gathered considerable testimony under oath tending to strengthen the President’s position that the shooting at Brownsville was done by the United States troops. There has never been any question: but that empty cartridge government shells and catridge clips were picked up on the scene of the shooting. Of course, these might have gotten into the hands of citizens and been used in a conspiracy as circumstantial evidence against the colored troops, but it appears from the fresh testimony that bullet holes in the houses and fences were undoubtedly made by shots from the service rifles, and these could by no possibility have been in the hands of anybody but the soldiers.

It is generally understood that the President intends to modify somewhat the severity of his sentence against the discharged soldiers, removing the bar against their employment in civil branches of the government, and allowing the re-inlistment of such of them as can prove to the satisfaction of the recruiting officers that they had no part in or knowledge of the shooting. This step would remove any criticism that might be made of the President forcing the innocent to suffer with the guilty, and would leave the recruiting officers free to bar from further enlistment many men of the several companies whom it is undesirable to have in the government service, t t +

With the completion of the War Department estimates as to the cost of the Cuban campaign, that island is likely to realize the expense of running a revolution under the protection of the United States. The total bill is not likely to be far from $4,000,000. This will include the transportation of troops, their maintenance in the island, and their return to the United States. The actual cost of sending the soldiers to Cuba was nearly $1,750,000, and the cost of bringing them back home will be over $2,500,000. During all the time that the soldiers have been in the island they have had to make constant marches with wagons and packed trains in continuous service, all of which runs up the cost. This government will be in a position to force Cuba to meet any bills it presents, and if the bill is a good stiff one it will be apt to have a very discouraging effect on future insurrections.

ttt Now that eight officers and employes of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad have been held by the grand jury as a result of the disastrous railroad wreck at Tqrra Cotta, the matter has cropped up in Congress in a new form. When the officials and employes were first held there was apparently inexplicable favoritism shown in al-

lowing the higher officials out on bail while the trainmen were locked up. Representative Murphy of Missouri has introduced a resolution in the House to determine why this should have happened. The District Attorney has a plausible explanation bristling with extradition technicalities, but that is not apt to stay the progress of the resolution. It shows the temper of Congiess in regard to rail roed wrecks and official favoritism and does pot bode well for the treat ment the officials will finally get when they come before the court on the charge of criminal negligence.