The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1898-10-01
Washington, d. c., News.
ON our Regular Correspondent.

a. SLdl-CIatllDcI u11ili Hat IL
the question asked on every side
since it was announced that Mr..
Mckinley's commission would,
until further notice, conduct the
investigation behind the locked
doors of a room in the War De-
part ment. Secret investigations
have never been popular with the
American people. This was re-
cognized by those who stated that
these doors would be closed,
"until further notice.. It is ex-
pected that public opinion will
demand that those doors be
thrown open, and the testimony
in this investigation be publicly
taken, and that expectation will
almost certainly be realized. Let
the Commission make its consi-
deration of the testimony as Sc
cret as its members may desire,
but let the testimony be taken in
public. Otherwise, the public
will put the whole affair down as
farcical. 1t may be only a coin
cidence. but it is significant one
that the chairman of Mr.. McKin-
ley's Commission is named
Dodge,-Gen. G.. NJ. Dodge, of
Iowa. The other members, Sc
cured after much trouble and
many absolute refusals to serve,
are, Col. j. A. Sexton, of I'll;
Capt. E. P. Howell, of GA; Maj.
Gen. j. NJ. Wilson, U. S. A.;
Hon. G. A. Denby, of Ind; Ex-
Gov. Woodbury., of VT; Ex-Gov.
Beaver, of Pa; Gen. A. D. Nc
Cook, of New York, and DR.. P.
S. Conner, of Ohio.
Giving officers honorable dis
charges, who have been openly
accused by Generals in the army
of incompetency and mismanage-
ment, is not a good way to con-
vince the country that the War
Department either wishes to find
the guilty or intends to punish
them when found. A case in
point is that of Lieut.. Col. Rush
H. Huidekoper. the horse doctor
who was Chief Surgeon at Camp
Thomas, Chickamauga Park, and
against whom many charges were
made, including one from q Brig
adler General, made directly to
Secretary Alger. Instead of hav-
ing Huidekoper court martialed,
so that he could have been either
vindicated or convicted, orders
were issued that his resignation
should be accepted and he be
given an honorable discharge. Mr..
Mckinley heard of that order and
countermanded it, and directed
that Huidekoper be ordered to
Washington to testify before the
investigating commission. Mr..
Mckinley is finding out much
more about things than he knew
before the talk about investiga-
ton began; and it IS believed
that he intends making it hot for
some of the guilty parties. In
fact, his personal friends are tel
ling him that he must do so for
seif-preservation.
Representative Cochran, of
Mo-, who is in Washington trying
to convince the administration to
order more Missouri Volunteers
mustered out of service, said of
the Republicans asking endorse
ment of their conduct of the
war: 1.-The Republicans will be
fortunate, indeed, if they can
divert public attention from the
bond issue, the neglet and mis-
management which has charac-
terized the conduct of the author
tiles in actual charge Of the pro-
secution of the war. How they
can expect to gain any advantage
by raising war issues, it is diff
cult to understand. The troops
in the field are composed of men
of all parties. They did their
duty nobly, and have added to
the glory and reputation of Ame-
rican arms, by deeds of unparal-
leled heroism. So much for the
soldiers in the field. Now, if the
authorities at Washington can
afford to 60 to the country for
appreciation of an administration,
which failed to provide our brave
soldiers with the rations, tents,
medicines, and competent sur
geons and attendants, during the
struggle, and hinge the result of
the Fall election upon this issue,
the Democrats can afford to meet
it. [ think, however, that the
war will cut very little figure.
Parties will divide ON old lines,
and the issues of 1896 will be
fought over again. y
Much interest is felt in Wash
ington in that affidavit made by
"Teddy" Roosevelt, that he was
not a resident of New York, but
of Washington. It is not believed
that the making public of this
affidavit by the friends of Gov.
Black, viii prevent "Teddy's"
from getting the Republican
nomination for governor of