The Press., 1898-10-20
Washington Letter.
Washington Oct.17 1898

Secretary Hay is too shrewd a diplomat to publicly discuss the fakes that are al- most daily cabled from Paris and Mad rid, alleging hitches and dead locks in the peace commission, but his countenance expresses his utter indifference to these sensations, when they are called to his attention by newspaper men. All he will say on the subject Is that nothing of i'm portance has yet been received from the American commissioners. The latest fake about the Spanish commissioners having proposed that the emperor of Germany should be asked to determine the ownership of the Philippines IS so ridiculous that one wonders it should have been printed in American papers. It will be remembered that the protocol which brought about the suspension of hostilities expressly provided that the U. s. should retain Manila and the surround ing country, and that the peace con- mission should determine the disposition of the rest of the Philippine group. The peace commission is only authorized to negotiate on the basis provided for by that protocol. By keeping that fact in matter to detect fake news about the doings of the peace commission.
 Acting secretary of the Interior Ryan, was somewhat surprised when he was visited by a delegation of full blooded Cherokee Indians, who came all the way forr rrit fo i'm ha Curtis act for the reorganization of Indian territory, which passed congress last June and was approved by the president was really a law; and the Indians appeared to be more surprised when he assured them that it was. They insisted that he should to please them he wrote on the face of a. copy of the act, This Is a law" and signed his name. The Indians took tha copy with them, but still seemed to have doubts about the matter.
 Secretaries Long and Alger are good friends personally, but the relations be- tween the departments of the government Navy and War--over which they re- spectively preside have been more or less strained ever since the Adjutant Gen. of the army sent a report to the war investi- gating commission, prepared by direction of Secretary Alger, which naval officials, and others, regarded as an attempt to make Admiral Sampson responsible for the delays in getting Gen. Shafter's army to Cuba, after 1t was put on board of transports, at Tampa, Fla. This was fiatly denied by Adjutant Gen. Corbin, but his denial did not stop the talk, and it has been sometimes quite bitter on the part of officials of both departments. The relations between the two depart ment were not improved when Lieut.. Frank K. Hill, of the navy, who had charge of the debarkation of Shafter's army, stated that the transports had arrived off the coast of Cuba with no facilities for land ing the troops, and that if the navy had not come to the rescue the army never would have been landed, and backed up that assertion by saying that Gen. Shafter had also expressed the same opinion. Lieut. Hill said he had no ideaof striking at the war department in his testimony, which embraced only facts that were known to all who accompanied Shafter's army, but war department assistants in- sist that he was actuated by desire to ''get even." It was understood that when the commission, which has gone to Jack sonviIle, Fla, returns to Washington, it will ask the navy department for copies of all dispatches to and from Admiral Sampson.
 l There will be no military governor ap- pointed for Porto Rico, oyer which the American firg will fly on and after the 18th inst, as it is the impression in ad- ministration circles that congress will lose DO time in providing form of civil government for the island, and until that is done the general in com mand of the | U. s. troops on the island will have the authority of a governor. Major General Brooke, is at present in command there, but it is by no means certain that he will remain until the civil government is es- tabliehed. Gen. Brooke has been asked to notify. the war department by cable how many soldiers he considered absolute ly necessary to preserve good order in
 Porto Rico. If Gen. Brooke does not