The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1898-09-15
Washington Letter.


Gen. Miles and Gen. Shafter are not
only in Washington, but they have met,
shaken hands and chatted together as
friendly as any two old comrades might
be expected to do. This must be surpris-
ing to those who believed, or pretended to
believe, that when the two men met,
there would be drawn swords and con-
test of the regulation "Three Guardsmen'
order. If the men are really as unfriend-
ly towards each other as one might infer
from reading recent newspaper publica-
tions, they are both past masters in the
art of concealing their feelings. There
was certainly no signs of enmity when
they met In the office of Gen. Miles, in
tected. Gen. Miles will talk every time
he gets an opportunity about the neces-
sity Of charging the regular army and
the recommendation he intends making
to congress on that subject, but he says
the statement he gave out as soon as he
landed in New York contained all he has
to say at present concerning the cam
palgns in Cuba and Porto Rico. 1t Is be-
lieved that the president will take no no.
tlce officially of what Gen. Miles said re-
flecting on the war department, unless
circumstances compel him to do SO, If
Miles doesn't do any more of the same
sort of talking. He has met Miles twice
since he returned to Washington, but
nothing was said by either about those
newspaper publications.
The president has decided to have an
investigation of the entire conduct of the
war made by commission of the most
prominent men he can get to assume the
| task-men whose names will cause any
thing they say to be accepted by every
body without question-for the purpose
of trying to put an end to the charges and
counter charges now being printed in the
newspapers. While the Alger Miles
wrangle is said to have had nothing to do
with the idea of having this investiga-
ton, which was ostensibly asked for by
Secretary Alger, it may have much to do
with 1t, as Gen. Miles is not a witness
that is likely to be overlooked by the
commission. That he Is anxious for the
investigation all the world knows. The
heads of the departments of the army
most directly concerned in the investiga-
tion-the commissary general, the quar-
termaster general and the surgeon general
all say that they will welcome the most
INV 3oAn no M 81 Nv
several departments, and Gen. Shafter
assured the president, personally, that
the more thorough the investigation of
everything connected with the campaign
against Santiago was made, the better it
would please him, because he was certain
it would result in adding to the credit Of
the men who took part In that remark
able campaign, and in making the people
more clearly understand the nature Of
the difficulties that were successfully sur
mounted.
No president for long time has been
on such good terms with congress as Mr..
Mckinley has been and is likely to con-
tinue, as long as he sticks to present
methods. He never does anything i'm
portant before comforting with members
of both branches of congress, not only of
his own party, but of all parties. He
asks them to freely express their views,
and frequently adopts them as better or
more expedient than his own. Nothing
could more distinctly accentuate the
presidents policy OF keeping in touch with
congress than the personnel of the Amer
lean end of the peace commission, which
is to meet at Paris, Oct. /, to negotiate a
treaty of peace between the u. S. and
government of the Philippines. Three
out of the five commissioners are sena-
tors-Davis, Frye and Gray-and all of
them are members of the senate commit
sarily be an important factor in deter
mining whether the senate will ratify the
treaty, after it Is made. The first two
are republicans, and the last democrat.
The president is doubtless correct in as
Stunning that any treaty approved by these
senators is likely to be approved by the
necessary two-thirds of the senate. The
other two commissioners are Secretary
Day and Whitelaw Reid. They will come
to Washington this week for their In
structions, and will sail from New York
on the nth inst.
If what comes from the Isthmus OF
Panama can be believed, and this govern
ment constructs the Nicaragua canal,
there are likely to be two canals between
the Atlantic and the Pacific. A gentle
man from Panama, now In Washington,
who has no reason to exaggerate, said
Although there Is not much talk about
it in the newspapers, the construction
work now in progress on the Panama
canal is on scale of magnitude which
will bring the enterprise to a successful
issue. There are now over four thousand
men employed on the canal, and the work
is being done In thorough and scientific
fashion. Had the first company proceed
ed as carefully as the present one, the
canal would have been In operation long
ere this, but the first company squandered
millions, hardly leaving thing to show
for the money that was spent like water >
A new invention is one to make tele-
graph wire out of paper The interior
cable is lead covered, and thin spirals