Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-09-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular Correspondent

Il
ID bv making Gen. G. NJ. Dodge, of
Iowa, Chairman, and decided for Il
present to sit with closed doors. The
other members of the Commission
are. Col. J. A. Sexton, of ILL.,, Capt.
B. p. Howell, of Ga; Maj, Gen. J.
NJ. Wilson, L. S. A.; Hon. G. A.
DENLY, Of Ind; Ex-Governor Wood
bury, of VT; Ex-Governor Beaver, OF
Pa: Gen. A. b. McCook, Of New
York, and DR.. P. S. Conner of Ohio.
The President told the members OF
the Commission that all the power
of the Government should be placed
at their disposition in their efforts to
Law bare all the faults there were IN
the management Of the war, iH either
high or low quarters; and there is a
general disposition to believe thal
the investigation is to be conducted
without fear or favor, and solely Win
the desire of getting at the truth, ana
40 far as may be possible, TO place
the individual responsibility for all
the unnecessary suffering Of our sol
diers. To place the responsibility Is az
far as the Commission can go; PUNISH
ment must come from the President
The country is to be congratulated
that the suffering of our soldiers II
not to be made partisan political IS
sue in the present Congressional Cam
painn. A little while back it looked
as though that was just what was go
mg to be done. 1t would have Dee'
= national misfortune, because II
would have been taken by foreigners
10 mean that the country, which ex'
cited the admiration ofthe world dur
ING the war with Spain, 10y its united
and enthusiastic support of the gov
eminent. was divided in sentiment,
and such a construction by foreigners
may have resulted in another war--a
tor more serious affair than that with
Spain. Those who are managing the
democratic Congressional campaign
never did wiser or more patriouc
thing than when they decided not to
use the charges and counterchargeS
as to the management Of the war as
campaign issues.
More than five hundred applications
for pensions on account of service III
the war with Spain have already been
filed in the Pension Bureau. Com
missioner Evans says new division
will be created in the Bureau for the
special purpose of handling the ap-
plications for pensions, resulting from
the Spanish war.
Two Congressman were having a
warm argument over the war; and
especially over the difference in the
management of the army and that OF
the navy, in the reading room of a
Washington hotel. One OF them
would invariably close a sentence ar
raicning some department Of the
army by asking: "NOw, why couldn't
that have been done as well as the
naval officers did all their work"
After he had asked the question half
a-dozen or more times, he was sur
prised TO be confronted bya quiet
gentleman, who had been sitting near,
who calmly said; 81 can answer your
question" Looking at him some
what fiercely, the Congressman said;
"Well, 20 ahead; tell us why naval
work was better done than army
work." "Simply because politicians
and persons with social pull could not
oct Naval Commissions for civilian
incompetents; the work in the Navy
was all done by men specially educat-
ed to do it," was the quiet reply.
"Humph! who are your" asked the
Congressman. "Never mind my
name; am a Naval officer" answer
ed the gentlemen. The Congressman
said he had an engagement and
started to leave, but before doing so
he leaned over and said to the Naval
officer: "Better be more careful how
you express opinions and criticisms OF
the other branch of the service"
Those in hearing joined the Naval
officer in smiling and one man said
to another. "Wonder how many army
commissions that Congressman Sc
cured for incompetence"
Members of the administration re-
gard the sensational story that there
is plot between the German govern
ment and Aguinaldo, the Philippine
insurgent General. for the insurgents
to drive the Americans off the islands
this winter and turn them over to
Germany, as nothing more than a