The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-09-29
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

charges that individual democrats
have been making concerning the
conduct of the war. The Campaign
Book issued by the Democratic Con
gressional Campaign Committee,
which is supposed to state the party's
attitude on all the issues of the cam
paign, does not even mention these
charges This shows as plain as it
can be shown that the democratic
managers know that before election
day the Commission which has al
ready bagun the work OF taking testi-
mony, will have made it perfectly
plain to everybody that there was
nothing in the general conduct of the
war that was not creditable to the
republican administration.
Nothing could show the attitude of
President Mckinley towards the in
vestigation of the conduct Of the war,
just started, more fully than his own
works to a member of the investigat-
ing commission feel that the
American people have committed
these boys to my hands, and if any
body has wrOnged them, | want to
find it out" The following gentle
men compose the investigating com
mission: Gen. G. NJ. Dodge, of Iowa,
Chairman; Col. j. a. Sexton, of Hi
nois; Capt. f. p Howell, of Ga;
Maj. Gen. J. NJ. Wilson, L. S. A.;
Hon. Chas. A. DENLY, of Ind; EX-
Governor L. A. Woodbury., of Vt;
EX- Governor j. a. Beaver. of Pa;
Gen. \. ID. McCook, of n. Y, and DR..
p. S. Conner, of Ohio. 1t has not yet
been decided whether the commission
will do all of its work in Washington,
summoning such witnesses as may be
able to give information, or will later
visit some of the camps. There is
work enough to keep them in Wash
ington for awhile, anyway. Daily
sessions will be held. and work pushed
to a conclusion as rapidly as possible
Hon Binger Hermann, Commits
sioner of the L. $. Land Office, who
represented an Oregon District in the
House for twelve years, thinks the
republican gains in the extreme West,
this fall, will surprise those who
accept the apathy in Maine and Yer
mont, which resulted in a large stay
at-hOme vote, and a consequent re
duction of republican majorities, as
representing the general condition
Of the republican party. Mr. Her
mann has recently returned from an
extensive trip through the West, and
his knowledge of the people and con
ditions in that section, make his
Judgment trustworthy. He said;
This country has fought with bril-
liant success, a great war since Pres
ident McKinley's election. The West
fired with enthusiasm over our terri
torial acquisitions in the Pacific, and
enjoying an era of great corps and a
plentiful money supply, will be heard
from emphatically in November;
think the casting up of votes out
there will be a surprise to nearly
everyone
The conference of Gev. Holcomb
and Col. Bryan, at Washington, has
added to the belief of the republicans
that Nebraska is coming back into
the republican fold this year The
following, from Mr.. E. P. Myerhoff,
is fair sample of the talk of Nebras-
ka republicans seen in Washington:
There is a very decided decline in
the free silver sentiment in Nebras-
ka, and | do not think the state could
be carried again on that issue. Mr..
Bryan, too, | think, lacks great deal
of having his former popularity, and
many men who voted for him in '96,
would not support him if he should
again head the democratic ticket"
1t is believed that Gov. Holcomb told
Col. Bryan that he feared the repub-
licans would carry the state, and that
if they did, his chances for again
heading the democratic Presidential
ticket would not be promising.
Nothing more than amusement is
felt in Washington that the story
that Aguinaldo, the head of the Phil
ippine insurgents intends to drive
our army out of the Philippines and
turn the islands over to Germany.
Admiral Dewey and Gen. Otis are not
men to be driven by any country's
soldiers, and the idea of their being
driven by the rabble which composes
the insurgent army, is too ridiculous
to be entertained for Il moment, and
that Germany has any idea of openly
assisting the insurgents in any move
ment against the Americans is not at
all probable.
Nothing official has been given out
on the subject, but it is known that
the request of the Spanish Military
Commissioners to make a six months
job of evacuating Cuba, has been
very positively refused. The Span