The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-12-29
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.

Gingerly as the War Investigating
Commission handled Gen Miles, who
shocked them at the beginning of his
testimony by declining to be sworn,
he managed to say that much suffer
ing in the Santiago campaign was the
result of General Shafter's failure to
obey orders; that the Commlssary
General was inefficient, and to twit
the commission for not having "got
onto" the embalmed" beef sent to
his men in Porto Rico, against his
protest, IN order that contractors, fa-
vored by the War Department, might
pocket big profits. He, also, by his
answer to several questions Che was
not allowed to make general state.
ment made it plain that the ignoring
of his recommendations by the War
Department had resulted in much un-
necessary suffering.
The trusts are to be directly repre-
sented in the Cabinet. Mr.. E. A.
Hitchcock, of Missouri, now Ambas-
sador 10 Russia, who was nominated
to succeed Mr.. Bliss as Secretary of
the Interior, and confirmed by the
Senate a few minutes before adjourn
ment for the Christmas recess, is the
head of the plate glass trust and a
multi millionaire.
The administration has decided
that $4,000 more volunteers may
safely be mustered out, and it will be
done as fast as possible.
The Hull bill, which ought really to
be known as the Alger-Corbin bill,
for recognizing and increasing the
regular army, has been reported fIvor-
ably 10 the House by strict party
vote in the Military COMMITTEE.
The five Democratic members of the
Committee are opposed 20 the bill and
will prepare and submit bill of their
own, which will be offered as a sub
stitute.
The House Committee on Appro-
prlations loses two of its members to
furnish Governors for Texas and for
Pennsylvania. Before Congress ad-
journed for the Christmas recess the
Committee unanimously adopted res
olutions setting forth the esteem of
the Committee for Hon. Joseph D.
Savers, Governor elect of Texas, and
Hon. VIM. A. Stone, Governor elect
of Pennsylvania. The Sayers resolu-
tion was one of the strongest ever
adopted under similar circumstances.
He has been member OF the Com
mittee for twelve years, during two of
which he was its chairman, and has
left record that any man would be
justified in being proud of.
Under the latitude allowed in de-
bate when the House is in Committee
of the Whole, Representative Will
Jams, of Mississippi, made strong
speech against the annexation Of the
Philippines, which he declared would
be mistake, whether viewed from a
social, political, or a material stand
point. Frequent applause from his
Democratic colleagues showed which
way their sympathies were. After
stating that the Islands should not be
returned to Spain, Mr.. Williams said !:
al should leave the Islands where
they were the day after Dewey's glori-
Gus victory at Manila. l should haul
down the American flag. l am for
the flag for what it means, not for it.
self. 1t is nothing but a piece of
bunting, and when some one an
nounces that it must not come down,
l care not how high his station, he
says something unworthy of himself
and his country. The flag should
come down, If it is right that it should
do so, and the American people must
pull it down. We would not let any
other country do It,"
Senator Butler, of North Carolina,
has given notice of his intention to
offer an amendment to the pension
appropriation bill that will give Con-
federate soldiers and sailors precisely
the same status under the pension
laws as those OF the United States.
Mr.. McKinley's original proposal was
to assist In the care of the Confeder-
ate dead then Representative Rixey,
of Virginia, introduced his bill to
open all Government Soldiers Homes
to needy and crippled Confederates,
but Senator Buffers proposition is the
most astonishing Of all.
Gen. Henderson, Chairman of fhe
home Judiciary committee. to which