The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1898-09-21
SUPPRESSED NEWS
FROM WASHING TON
(By One of the Suppressors.)

| IOm ne new lime.
Washington.-Senator Elkins, of Wes
Virginia, one of the strongest believer,
In the annexation Of the Philippine Is
lands, is in Washington. He came tt
the city just as soon as he heard o
Spain's proposition for peace, and ha.
been here ever since working in the in.
terest of strong and firm foreign pol.
icy. There are but few men in public
life who have the confidence of the
president to such an extent as Senator
:Elkins. With Mr.. Mckinley the West
Virginian talked plainly and urged an
open declaration that this country
meant to hold the Philippines.
Before the war began Senator Elkins
was opposed to hostilities He thought
the trouble with Spain could be settled
by other means-Press dispatch.
Without desiring to enter into a dis
cussion of colonial policy or an argu-
ment on territorial expansion, 1 desire
to mildly criticise the president on the
choice of friends. To those whose men,
ories go beyond the present year an ill
turn is given by reading that "few men
in public life enjoy the confidence of the
| president to such an extent as Senator
| Elkins." This is the same Elkins, bear
| in mind, who would have looked upon
the world through bars at the end of the
Star Route scandals if justice and the
penitentiary had their Dues If the
president aims to retain the lofty repu-
tatlon for virtue he has hitherto had,
he will keep stenographer in the room
when Elkins is there. 1t may interest
the readers Of The New Time to be
told the causes which have changed Ell
klns from his ante bellum peace at any
price" position to his present aggressive
war-loving frame. When women and
children were being starved in Cuba and
after the assassination of the Maine bat
tleship, with 250 odd of her men, EIkins
sang, bird-like, for peace and for SPAIN
His interest, like Elkins' interest in
everything, could be expressed in dollars
and cents. He was the agent, the paid
senate representative, OF the Spanish
bondhOlders. He talked against war and
earsad his money. Elkins is honest, at
least to the extent of doing what he is
paid to perform. With war declared and
hostilties on, Elkins' view point at once
changed It became his financial interest
to prosecute the war thus entered upon.
1t is rudely estimated that Elkins, Bliss,
the secretary of the interior, Hanna, the
Senator from Ohio, and two others not
in public life will directly reap fifty mil
lion dollars benefit from the war about
to be concluded as this is written Fully
one-half of this fifty million is contin-
gent upon the retention Of the Philip
pine Islands by this government Mr..
Elkins is one of the organizers and pro-
moters OF the Philippines Trading Com
pany, recently formed. He is also deep
into a scheme for building railways in
Cuba. A syndicate to own Porto Rico
numbers Mr.. Elkins among it's men,
bers. He declared, and at once secured a
coal contract from the government to
furnish it 100000 tons Of coal for the
navy at $G.40 per ton. Senator Hanna,
person of some modesty as we'll as in
huence, could get a contract for the
comparatively small amount of 100000
tons-one million between them. The
extortionate price paid is because of
clause which makes it necessary for the
contractor to deliver coal at any naval
station in the Atlantic. The figures
were based on the Key West station,
where the fleet then lay, and included a
profit. The vessels that have required
coal have all come north for it, or the
fleet has been supplied by colliers, which
have invariably taken their loads at
Norfolk, the point most convenient to
Elkins and Hanna's mines.
Elkins has quite supplanted Hanna in
White House affections. He is smooth
er proposition of manhood. Hanna bore
himself too much as a guardian of the
presidential person as we'll as curator
of the presidential estate Elkins is the
sympathetic and interested friend.
The president is much concerned over
the forward conduct of his brother Abb
ner. AbEer is person of much busi-
ness sagacity. He figured great posi-
bilities in his kinship and has realized
on nearly all of them. Abner has taken
a brokers' percentage on nearly every
ship sold to the government He was a
party in interest to the Wanamaker
shoe contract. The eminent Philadel-
phian sold to the government shoes for
the volunteer soldiers. His price is $3.50
per pair or some such figure. He obtains
the shoes at $2.45 from the Massachusetts,
manufacturer. Why does not the manu-
facturer furnish them direct to the COM
missary or quartermaster? Abner knows.
One of the first bills to 60 before the
Fifty-fifth congress was a proposition
to raise the pay of postal carriers. The
measure was meritorious enough and
would no doubt have been successful.
Abner Mckinley made it a certainty by
chaperoning it. He received $50, 900 for
his friendliness, whereof $4,000 was as
the velvet of commerce, for he expended
but $4,000. Abner's pernicious activity
has caused his brother, the president, to