The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-05-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nav Sth.

has Just returned to Washington, is lack
ing in many of the characteristics that 60
to make an ideal Secretary of War, but he
gall, of which he has about rs much as
any man who ever held 4 cabinet portfolio.
And his latest is Il little beyond all his
previous exploits in the gail line. He has
NICK inley, if the public talk of his bench
men can be believed. According to the
Algerites. Alger is not satisfied with the
whtewashing given him by the War Com
mission and the alleged vindication given
him by the report of the Military Court of
Inquiry, which Mr.. Mckinley has just APP
proved and ordered published, but de
mands that Gen. Miles shall be deposed
from the command of the army. In addi-
ton to having demanded this of Mr.. Nc
Kinley, Alger is said to have told him that
if he did not issue the order transferring
Miles from Commander Of the Army to
one of the Military Divisions he would, as
Secretary of War, issue it himself, thus
forcing Presidential action one way or
the other. 1t is not surprising that Mr.
Mckinley should have concluded to go to
the Virginia Hot Springs and try to clear
out his system by few hot baths. But it
is Algerism he will have to clean out to
accomplish anything.
Boss Platt's edict has gone forth that
Mo- 81, h,f Il Il of
for the Speakership, and that Payne, Ray
and possibly other members of the dele
CATION who have either positively or parti-
ally announced themselves as candidates
will be forced out of the way to give Sher-
man the unanimous support of the delega-
ton. This, and rumors that Sherman had
made deal with Hanna, caused quite
marked boom in Sherman stock and Sher-
man is now in favor in sporting circles.
Treasury officials have refused to allow
an item headed "traveling expenses in
the personal accounts of Roger c. Spooner.
Special Indian Agent, temporarily i'll
charge of the Indian warehouse in Chicago,
because the aforesaid travelling expenses
were incurred by Spooner in going be-
tween his home in Wisconsin and his office
in Chicago, and arc not considered to have
been necessary to the proper performance
of his public duties Spooner is Il brother
of Senator Spooner and holds his position
by trick. The position of Superintendent
of the Indian warehouse is supposed to be
ty;1 P,,lac TO h,
vacant. Nearly year ago Senator
Spooner carried an order to Secretary
Bliss, from Mr.. Mckinley, telling him to
provide good place for his brother. 1t
was done by appointing him as Special
Indian Agent and putting him in tempo
rary charge of the warehouse in Chicago,
where he has been ever since, filling a
position that is in the classified service
without ever having even taken an exam
nation. Still, there are some otherwise
level-headed men who will get "nutty'
when the Civil Service Rules are spoken
of as the humbug they really are.
Mr.. Mckinley seems to be developing a
disposition to play Car. He ordered
Representative Hen derson, of Iowa, Chair
man of the Republican Caucus Committee
that recently completed a financial bill,
when he called at the White House with a
copy of the bill, to change it before it was
submitted to the republicans of the Senate
Finance Committee, who, it seems, must
approve it before it is made public. Col
Henderson is peppery sort of fellow
occasionally, but, being a candidate for
Speaker of the House, he did not care to
quarrel with Mr.. Mckinley, so he only
called his attention to the fact that every
clause in the bill had been put there by
unanimous vote of the Committee The
order to change it was reiterated by Mr..
Mckinley.
1t has been decided by the republican
leaders that an extra session of Congress
shall be called, probably early in the fall,
but in order to give themselves an oppor-
deemed advisable later to do so, they will
not say more than that an extra session is
probable. The fact of the matter is that
they are getting uneasy over the political
outlook. short time ago they were
| figuring on a walk over for Mckinley ne xt
year, but now they are frightened. One
of them said; Mr.. Mckinley will, of
| course, be candidate for denomination,
but it is by no means certain that he will
| win. The scandals under his administra-
ton have made it difficult for his friends
to defend it. Alger, Shafter, Eagan and
others, who have figured prominently in
| the administration, have not added to Mr..
| Mckinley's reputation or improved his
| chances for renomin nation. Conservative
| observers believe that Algerism and
Eaganism will prove to be a heavier load
than Mr.. Mckinley can carry, and that
even if he should be nominated again he
would be defeated"
The Philippine situation continues to be
a combination of dickering and fighting,
although the administration claims that
the submission of Aguinaldo is now fully
assured, but they do not say when. His
subjugaton has been sure thing from
the first, but it has already cost more, both
in money and blood, than it will ever he
worth to the people of this country.
The Washington correspondent of the
Baltimore Sun" says: Whatever may
have been Admiral Schley's wishes in the
matter, it is quite certain the Navy De
partment made no offer to him Of the com
mand of the Asiatic station as the success
sor of Admiral Dewey, to which Admiral
Waston was assigned Tuesday. There is
| no question had Admiral Schltv been
asked to accept the detail he would have
been gratifed, for it is a great h nor to
command what is now regarded as the
most important of all the five naval sta
tons of the government. Yet there is no
! evidence any intimation was given Admi-
raj Schley of a prospective vacancy in the
| Asia:ic station.