Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-12-09
FROM WASHINGTON.
Correspondence OF the Alexsndris aasette.I
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3.

General LaWlon nHS ooou oAoo
membership of the Presidential party;
General Wheeler and his daughter VIII
also 90 along. The General is the only
member of Congress that has been IN
vited. He is now on the most familiar
terms at the White House.
General Garcia is i'll with pneumonia,
and as be is nearly sixty-three years
old. his life is in greatest danger. Col.
Gomez is also ill, and so the business
of the Cuban commission here Ia max
ing no progress. o
Pension Commissioner b. Clay
Evans agrees with Senator Vest on the
100 many pensioners" proposition,
and says he hopes Mr.. Vest will push
the matter through. There are few
members of Congress who lay back,
watch their chance and rush through
punches of bills while the others are
not looking and then the men who 90
not get their claims through are mad
cleau through. There are altogether
TOO many private pension bills passed
by Congress, he says, and he Will De
very clad to see the system stopped or
abridged.
The Interview published in Washing
ton and New York this morning with
General Joe Wheeler of Alabama, max
ing him say he would resign his seat in
the House, caused much surprise. The
generals attention was called to it. he
said The interview is entirely enron
eous. All I have said, is !
will give the matter careful
Investigation, when [ have time
O do so. but as yet l have come to
40 determination, whatever. With
regard to the statement that
am fere as an advocate OF
army legislation to which the democratic
party is opposed, desire to say that it
s not true the democratic party is OPP
posed to army legislation. The demo-
cratic party recognizes as well as the
republican party the necessity for re,
gular army. 1t recognizes the changed
condition of our country il the last six
months, and that we are to-day the
grest power of the world. 1t would
be q crime to fail to legislate intelli-
gently on the subject o. the army"
! The general said further that it was his
belief Spain would not have warred
with US, had we had large standing
army. She thought with her 800, 900
soldiers she could easily whip the
United States with our $4,000
Representative Dalzell of Pennsyiva-
MIA, one of the republican leaders in tn
House saw the President this morning.
He expressed the opinion that there
will be no extra session of Congress.
| A committee OF New Orleans citi-
zeps extended an invitation to the
President to-day to visit that city at
peace jubilee to be held at date not
yet decided upon.
Representative Otey of Virginia was
promised today pardon for member
of Co. L,3rd Virginia regiment named
German from Lynchburg now in prison.
The House military committee had
| the new army bill before them to-day,
out before they took it up Representa-
i've Hay OF Virginia got them to agree
% report mis- resolution calling upon
The War Department for the number
of soldiers deemed necessary for pre-
serving law and order in this country
and its newly conquered provinces.
TIE army bill provides for an army OF
SO, 173, two per cent. of which shall be
commissioned, and authorizing the
President to enlist recruits in the con.
quered provinces without requiring Of
then such qualifications as are neces.
sury for American recruits. The CON-
mittee decided to begin hearings next
Monday. On that day General Miles
| General Schofeld, and the heads of the
staff departments will be heard. Chair
man Hull is uncertain when the bill
will get before the House for discussion
representative Walker of Virginia
arrived here yesterday, just i'll time tc
find that both houses OF Congress had
adjourned until Monday. He does not
know when the contested case Of
Brown VS.. Swanson will be called up
| Indeed Mr. Walker has more cause to
be interested in his contest fora seat in
the next Congress than in that of any
bo4y else for one in this.
Most ell the talk about democratic
opposition to Mr.. Bailey, the demo
cratic leader on the floor of the House,
is INDUCED in by the republican news.
papers of this city. II is confidently
expected 10 day that the caucus to-
morrow night will pass the resolution
making the action of two.thirds of its
members binding upon the other third.
The democrats in the House yester-
day evening insisted upon, and Were
successful, in their effort to amend the
deficiency bill by providing that moth
ing in it should alter the terms upon
which the volunteers were enlisted
tnat is, only for the war.
! Senator Mortin and Representative
Hay were at the War Department to-
day 10 try to have son of DR.. Whit
beck, the famous cancer doctor of Win.
chester, discharged from the navy.
AS means to get support for the bill
now before Congress for the increase of
the regular army, it is given out at the
War Department that il twill be impo :
sibe to discharge auy more volunteers
until the passage of that bill.
Sit s stated to-day on tho authority of a
United States Senator who talked with the
President on the subject yesterday, that Mr..
Mckinley reslly favors the idea of selling tho
Philippine Islands to the highest bidder, and
this TOO, though he has frequently said the
Spanish war was prosecuted solely for the
sake of humanity, and only to give liberty
to the insurgent Gu BANS
Late yesterday afternoon the President sent
to the Senate about 600 names for promo
lions in the army.
Secretary Long has approved the recon-
mendation of the board of inquiry into the
1,o 80 IO