The Elbert County tribune., 1899-03-16


J granted at the beginning Of the war a
great deal OF trouble and suffering
would have been saved. but Congress
refused to pass law placing retired
officers Of the army upon the same lev
| el as retired officers of the navy In this
respect. because 1t deprived them Of
patronage. and green men from civil
| life were selected for political reasons
4 instead.
| Congress was lavish in its appropri
atoms for public buildings at the late
| session. more so than for many years.
While Mr.. Reed has been in the chair
he has resisted this sort of legislation.
None but the most important cities
have had public buildings ordered since
he has been speaker. There are now
only twenty-eight buildings under con
struction by the government. the small
est number for a generation. but sixty
five new ones were ordered Mt the late
session. not including the new govern
ment printing office in Washington,
which is to cost S2.OOO.OOO. the new
department of justice. which Is to cost
1,0OO,0O0. new dormitories and recita-
ton rooms and other quarters for the
naval academy. S2.OOO.0O0. public
library In Washington to cost $3.50. 900.
which is presented by Mr.. Carnegie,
and large numbers of buildings of va
rious sorts for the use of the army
and navy. The sixty-five buildings re-
ferred to are exclusively court houses
and postofiices. In this way between
$13.OOO.OO0 and S14 100000 will be dis
tributed throughout the country In
payment for labor and materials. and
add that much more to the activity
and prosperity OF the country.
All the brevets conferred upon the
officers of the army and all the promo
| tions made In the navy for bravery dur
ing the war; even that of Lieutenant
Hobson. failed because the friends of
Admiral Schley would not permit the
promotion OF Admiral Sampson. Ad-
iniral Schley seems to have known
what he was doing when he committed
his interests to the care of the Populists
in the Senate and appealed to them to
prevent the promotion of Admiral
Sampson over his head. The President,
the Navy Department, the officers of
the navy almost without exception, the
committee on naval affairs, and large
majority of the Senate are partisans of
Sampson. but Schley had Butler. Petit
grew and Stewart looking out for him,
and they won their point by threatening
to talk out the session IL the matter was
thhch up. fNIiliDSOu ndS
en- no part In the controversy. He has
not been in Washington, he has not
written to any senator OF member of
Congress, nor to any department on the
subject. He has been aboard his flag
ship continually ever since the contro-
versy began. but Admiral Schley has
been at the capitol every day button
holing Butler. Pettigrew. Stewart and
other senators. He is a frequent visi-
tor in newspaper offices also.
The compromise clause In the river
and harbor bill is very broad and will
he construed by President Mckinley
as II was construed in the Senate by
Mr.. Morgan and Mr.. Frye, as commit
ting the government Of the United
States TO the construction of a canal
Therefore no Intermediate corporations
or concessionaries will be necessary.
and the Maritime Canal Company and
Mr.. Cragin's syndicate will be sent to
the Court of Claims to settle the equi-
ties involved In the rights and privi-
leges of their CONCESSIONS The next
step will be negotiations with Great
Britain for n modification of the Clay
ton-Bulwer treaty. so that there may
be no question ms to the rights ofSthe
United States to build and control the
waterway. Our government will as.
peace along the line of the canal and
protecting shipping while IN transit:
the neutrality of the canal will be rec
ognized, and we will agree not to dis
criminnte III favor of any nation In the
way of tolls or transportation faclli-
ties. 1t may be said that such treaty
is already agreed upon. and there is
some reason for thinking that the text
has already been prepared for sigma
fnr Nnnntfaffnns fnr ria nf NAV
with the governments of Nicaragua and
Costa Rica will be necessary, not for
any corporation. but for the govern
ment of the United States. In Near
aqua that will be attended with more
or less difficulty and will require the
services of a skillful diplomatist. 1t is
probable that President Mckinley will
appoint special envoy to visit Mana
qua for this purpose.
1t is stated that President Mckinley
has decided rot to avail himself of the
authority granted by the compromise
army bill TO organize provisional
army of 10000 volunteers. After con-
sulting with the officials of the War
Department the President has decided
that, in view of the present favorable
' outlook n Cuba. and the prospect of
the complete suppression of the Philip
pine insurlectio. at an early day, Il
! Will not be necessary. after the present
/ volunteer forces have been mustered
4 out, to nave more than 65,0OO men al
lowed fci the regular army until July
/. 1901. 1t is also his purpose to ex-
pedite the withdrawal of volunteers
from Cuba and the Philippines as rap
idly as possible, and muster them out
of the service. All the volunteers are
10 be brought home from Cuba with
out delay. and those in the Philippines
will be brought home as soon as
enough regulars can he sent out to
take their places. In desiring to avoid
| the enlistment of the volunteer army
authorized. the President is actunted
partly by political motives and partly
by desire 10 Keep the War Depart
ment expenditures down as low as
possible. If he can get along without
the volunteers. he will have a surplus
instead of a deficit in the appropra-
iion for the support of the army for
tie next fiscal year.