The times., 1899-10-14

to all trade, as most of them were in the
hands OF the insurgents. Otis, as usual,
had his way, his hackers in Washington
seeing TO that, and Dewey quietly with
drew from the scene. Trade with the rebel
ports has been hampered by the refusal of
the Navy 10 gecognize elearances to them,
but way has been found to get around
that, and is constantly applied. Accord
ing to numerous statements contained in
communications from Manila, custom
house clearances can be obtained for
freight vessels, ostensibIy to some open
port in one of the islands. The enterpris
ing master OF the craft steams away.
drops in at a rebel stronghold, there ex-
changes his cargo of arms. ammunition,
and sundries for native products, runs
over to his port of nominal destination,
receives his return clearance, and. in due
time, turns up at Manila again
1t will be readily seen that this system
involves several necessary prerequisites.
The vessel must slip away on its outward.
voyage without any inquisitive inspection
of its cargo. When it comes back no
questions must be asked as to why the
voyage has occupied four or FIVE times the
period requisite for the trip. Nor must
any curiosity be aroused by the fact that
it returns laden with the products of Lu-
zon instead of those of the place it
cleared for
The temptation to engage in this SNUG
Cling and reasonable commerce is over
powering, Aguinaldo's agents will pay
almost any conceivable price for rifles
and ammunition. Luzon hemp, worth
year ago about thirty dollars a ton, has
advanced in market value, owing to the
partial blockade, to approximately five
times that figure. The favored dealers in
at the old price and charge from five to
seven prices for the guns and ammunition
required by the purchasers to shoot Ameri-
can soldiers. We do not. need to instruct
intelligent readers, as TO where the money
is in this grand scheme of aid and comfort
to the enemy and 1t would be quite super
flucas to point out the disaster which
would be sustained by the business in
terests" involved, If the insurreetion were
brought to an end.
1t has been UNANIMOUSLY apparent for
months that an organized influence was
working on the Administration in the in
terest of those who are benefited by the
conditions described. That influence was
strong enough to make Manila too hot to
hold Admiral Dewey. 1t has been potent
enough to maintain Otis and Denby, their
policies, and the people agreeable to them
in power in the Philippines. Up TO this
very day there is no evidence TO show that
its control over the Administration has in
any material sense weakened.
While the President and his advisers, for
reasons best known to themselves, may be
willing to allow the Manila scandal to
grow, and the conditions that have Gre
ated it to flourish, it should be distinctly
understood that the American public viii
not view the matter with the same or any
complacency. If Mr.. Mckinley does not
take the warnings given him by Admiral
Dewey and the press, and stamp out the
villainies and villains, we think he may
rest assured that one of the first acts OF
the Fifty-sixth Congress will be the adop-
ton of a resolution calling for Congress
sional investigation of the whole subject.
We are not unaware that the Senate viii
be Republican by fifteen or eighteen ma
iority, and the House by twelve or thir-
teen But that does not mean that either
viii be solidly for the Administration, or
that the friends of honesty and good gov
ernment will not be sufficiently strong TO
force consideration OF such an Indictment
as viii be read from the floor of one or the
other chamber. in connection with the sat
urnalia Of rascality in the capital of our
great Eastern possession.