The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1899-06-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Civil Service Rules Modified
Platt's DeclarationC Cuban
Vessels, etc.

Platt i Declaration Cuban
Vessels, etc.
Washington, May 20. There
ls something decidedly suspici-
GUS in the news from The Philip
pines. Not line Of press news
can be cabled from Manila until
II has been approved by the Unit
ed States Military Censor, and il
is not likely that he would ap.
prove anything the administra-
ton did not wish public. Hence,
the publication Of the statement
that il would be impossible for
Gen. Otis to conquer even the
entire island OF Lu2on, not 10
mention the remainder az the
group, SO that II would stay con-
quered, without large increase
N his army, was allowed to pass
the censor for d purpose Not
being ii the confidence of the
administration, few persons. even
among the most prominent re-
publlcans, are-.it cannot be pos
itlveiy stated what that purpose
~, but the inference il that il II
intended to pave the way for one
ol two things; a call for yolun-
teers to re-enforee Otis, Or 10
make the people Of this country
satisfied with some dicker that Il
about to be made with the Fill
pinos, and which they would
naturally be inclined to be dis
satisfied with. The preponder-
ance Of opinion in Washington a
that II means more volunteers.
Orders have been sent to the ci-
william members Of The Philippine
commission that they must do
nothing to interfere with the mil
itary plans Of Gen. Otis, which ID
confirmation of the reported
Wrangles in the commission.
After holding il back for many
months, Mr.. Mckinley has is-
sued his much advertised order
modifying the civil service rules. /
IL doesn I appear 70 please any,
body overmuch. 1t excerpts q
total Of somewhere in the neigh I
borhood Of four thousand places
from the operation or the civil
service rule, but as most Of those
places are already filled by re-
puhlicans, it will make compare
lively little new patronage for the
republican leaders. IL doesn
touch the government printing
office, whicn SO many republi- I
cans have been trying 80 hard to
get thrown open to them. So f
far as the party workers are con-
cerned. the order is likely to do
more harm than good TO the re-
publican party.
Representative DalzelI, Of
Pennsylvania, who stands about
as much show as Payne, the New
York anti-Platt candidate, drop
ped into Washington day or two
ago and announced that he was
a candidate for speaker. He
could not control three votes in
the Pennsylvania delegation
his own, 10 save his
neck. Bingham is the dummy
of the Pennsylvania
delegation, and will remain such
until Quay decides who shall get
these votes.
No surprise was caused in
Washington by Senator Plat
flat-f footed declaration that Nc \,
Kinley and Hobart would be re- 4
So far as Mckinley
IS concerned, Plat has been
nortgaged since early in the
administration; his en-
1orsement Of Hobart means that
i he ever had any idea Of help
ing to get Roosevelt second place
On the ticket, it has been aban-
1oned, but whether because ne
pleased with Roosevelt or
whether the latter wasn't pleased
with the idea OF second place, is
a matter of conjecture, but the
former is more likely to be true.
The declaration of Senator PEN
rose, who is Boss Quay's man
and mouth piece, in favor of
McKinley's denomination is moth
ing more than a bid for adminis-
ration help for Quay in his con-