Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-02-17

AT LEAST 1T WILL NOT PASS THIS
CONGRESS.

h"h Vi Congressional Pork Fool
Asuinaldo Precipitates His Own Dsstruc.
tion-Reed Runs Up Against Ruetion.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 1899.
The bill for the increase of the regu-
lar army is believed to be as dead MS it
deserves 10 be. 1t is understood that
notice has been served upon the adj
ministration Senators that they will
not be allowed to pass the Hull bill.
or any other bill proposing to give the
President authority to maintain q
standing army OF 100000 men, at the
present session. If vote could be
had, the administration might get it's
bill through, although it is by no
means certain that it could; but the
minority has the power to prevent
vote, and will not hesitate to exercise
it. An informal offer has been made
to agree to All amendment to the reg
ular Army appropriation bill, author
izing the maintenance of the war
strength of the regular army--62 600
for one year from the first of next
July, and, unless there are decided
changes OF opinion, that is about all
the army legislation that will get
through at this session of Congress.
Mr.. Mckinley has given out an
edited edition of the report OF the War
Investigating Commission, which con-
tains no surprises and will not con.
vince single individual that Alger
has not been misft from the begin
ming OF the war, and that beef unfit for
use was not issued to the army, nor
that Miles deserves censure for calling
public attention to the bad meat.
Great stress is laid by the administra-
ton and the friends of the gentlemen
who served on the Commission on the
fact that the report is in keeping with
the evidence, and that it WAS signed
by them all. except Col. Sexton, who
died last week. Such claim is un.
necessary, because the facts are gen.
orally admitted. What is objected TO
and what makes the report SO much
waste paper, is that no evidence was
sought, although it might have been
had i'll abundance, except that which
would conduce to a whitewashing re-
port. The money that the Commits
sion has cost, and il is a considera BILE
sum. has been absolutely wasted, not
one single good purpose has been
served by its expenditure.
The sentence OF six years suspension
from rank and duty, which was put
upon Gen. Eagan hy the President,
isn't half SO bad as it sounds. During
the next six years, or until he reaches
the age for retirement, in January,
1905, Eagan may engage in any occu.
patton that may please his fancy, go
wherever the notion strikes him TO 90,
and continue TO draw the salary of a
Brigadier General. Had the sentence
been suspension from rank, duty and
pay, it might be considered hard one,
but Eagan ought to consider himself
lucky, as it is, aud he doubtless does,
although, of course, he and his friends
may be expected TO let out few yowls
about how severely he has been treated
given six years leave on full pay,
IS, 800 year.
That men of the most economical
tendencies can be kept quiet by giving
their districts slice of the public
"pork" it is proposed to distribute has
been often demonstrated before, bu,
never-more strikingly than when the
House, in two days passed, without ser
iOus objection from dozen members,
seventy-eight bills, providing for pub
lie buildings in thirty-eight States.
Quite number of those bills provide
for the erection Of public buildings in
places where it is known that there is
neither business enough to warrant
such an exdenditure, not prospect that
there will be for years to come. No
wonder Representative Dockery re-
ferred to the proceedings as a "hog
combine"
There are number of Senators who
regard Aguinaldo as about as many
kinds OF fool as the late w. III. Van
derbilt did one of his sons-in-law. BY
his first fool attack on Manila he got
his army destroyed, and has been COM
PEELED to beg u conference to make
terms for himself, which Gen. Otis
naturally declined 10 have anything
to do with. And that is not all he
has done. If he had not made fool
Of himself, the Senate would have &C.
companied the ratification of the
treaty with a resolution declaring
against permanent retention of the
Philippines, but, owing to the situa-
ton on the islands, it will hardly be
deemed advisable to do anything now,
except to leave the whole business in
the hands of Dewey and Otis. 1t il
altogether likely that the Philippines
will he given government of their
own inside of year or two, but it is
certain that fool, Aguinaldo, will not
be connected with it. Had Aguinaldo
been the tool of the imperialists in
this country he would have earned his
pay.
Gar Reed has allowed it TO become
known that he Intends to prevent the
House passing Nicaragua Canal bill.
The friends Of the canal, among whom
are about four-fifths of Congress, have
set their wits to work to beat the Gar.
One way to do it, which il now being
considered, is for the Senate TO put the
Hepburn bill, which has teen reported
to the House as a substitute for the
Morgan bill, passed by the Senate, in
the River and Harbor bill, as an
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