The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-05-18
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

w ASAINUION, II, u, May 1OUH, 1919.
Secretary Long enthusiastically en-
SEES the project of raising a sum of
money by popular subscription to
present Admiral Dewey with a house
in Washington. 1t would be Il fitting
popular tribute to the man who in
day raised the United States to posi-
ton among the nations of the world,
which with all its power and wealth
it had never before occupied, and,
moreover, it would be a tribute that
the gallant Admiral will need. He
will be, until his death, which CRATE
full country trusts may not be for
many years, the ranking officer of our
navy, and as such his proper home
will be Washington. 1t is true that
his salary as Admiral is $4,000 year,
but it would be a difficult matter for
man of George Dewey's impulses to
maintain an establishment in Wash
ington suitable to his rank on that
amount, and he has no other income.
With a handsome home given him,
he could live as the highest officer in
the U. S. Navy ought to live, and.
judging by the reception given the
idea in Washington, there are few
persons in the country who will not
consider it an honor to contribute to
the Dewey home fund. Those who
know the Admiral best say that it
would be well to push the project to
a conclusion before he reaches the
United States, lest he should kill it
by asking that no money be contrib
uted for such a purpose.
There has been little change in the
Philippines during the past week.
Gen. Otis is slowly but surely closing
in on the insurgents, and unless
Aguinaldo surrenders very soon, his
forces will be annihilated. Opera
lions are rendered difficult over there
by the beginning of the rainy season,
but they have not ceased for a day.
and will not cease as long as there are
hostile Filipinos. The latest infor-
nation from Admiral Dewey, is that
he will leave Manila, on his flagship,
Olympia, in few days, homeward
bound, coming by way of Europe.
From his statement that he would
take about four months to make the
trip, it is assumed that he will stop
in a number of places, his object be-
ing probably to give himself and men
a needed rest, and not to arrive in the
United States until after all the warm
weather is over. No orders have been
or will be given him by the Navy De-
partment as to how or when he shall
return. He has full authority to
arrange the matter in accordance
with his own comfort and pleasure.
There is a lull in the Speakership
talk, owing doubtless to the fact that
the President is away and that only
few members of the House are in
Washington. Representative Smith,
who attended the conference of the
Illinois delegation in Chicago, says
that Representative Hopkins is likely
to surprise some of the other candi-
dates when his full strength becomes
known, especially in connection with
the number of eastern votes he will
control. Several New England mem
bers have been in Washington during
the last two or three days. None of
them have committed themselves, so
they say, and most of them express
the hope that an arrangement could
be made to cast the entire New Eng
land vote for one candidate, but so
far as known no steps have been
taken towards that end. 1t is evident
from their talk that none of them
have any idea that New England will
have serious candidate of it's own,
although they speak kindly of Repre-
sentative Moody, of Massachusetts,
who has been mentioned as a possible
candidate. They recognize the fact
that the length of time the honor was
held by Mr.. Reed makes it practically
certain that no New England man has
She slightest chance to become his
successor.
Hon. NJ. S. Taylor, of Ohio, who has
been closely allied with President
Mckinley in political matters in that
state and who is U. S. Consul at
Glasgow, Scotland, is in this country
on short vacation, and will attend
the Ohio Republican Convention, al
though he says he will not take an
active part therein. In verbal re-
port to the Department of State, Mr..
Taylor said: "The war with Spain
was of great benefit to the United
States, considering the advertising
given us in the old world. Among the
ordinary classes in Europe, there were
not many who had any appreciation
of our size, power or commercial i'm
portance. The truth is, they had not
gived us much thought But now
every person abroad is talking about
the victorious nation and giving it
some study and examination. In my
judgment, it will not be great while
before this will have a wholesome
effect upon our trade, and give us
markets where our goods have not
heretofore been admitted"
The Post Office Department wishes
Old Glory to fly from the top of every
post Office in Porto Rico, and having
no fund from which the flags could
be bought, asked the War Depart
ment if it could not supply them
Acting Secretary Meiklejohn was
compelled to answer that it could not
legally do so. But Perry Heath,
Assistant Postmaster General, who is
pushing along the movement of the
flags, says the Porto Rican post offices
shall have them if he has to solicit
private subscription of the money to
buy them. Flags for the school
houses in Porto Rico were contributed
by the New York 6. A. r.