Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-03-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, March Goth, 1899,

busy trying TO invent plausible eX-
plantations of why those two ''bitter
enemiesare" to be guests this week
under the same roof, at Jekyl
Island. This sort of thing would
be amusing if it were not disgust
ing to those who believe in truth
fulness and fair dealing towards
public men, as well as towards
private citizens. That there has
been, at times, differences OF opin-
ion on important public questions
between President Mckinley and
Speaker Reed, just as there has
always been at times between other
prominent members of the same
party, is known to all men, be-
cause neither of them ever hesitates
about stating their opinions: but
that there has been, at any time,
any personal enmity between them
or any desire on the part Of either
to split the Republican party into
factions for the individual benefit
or revenge of either, is untrue, and
nobody knew its falsity any better
than those who concocted the
stories. Next year will be Presi-
Dental year, and this class of yarns
may be expected to increase, be-
cause the Democrats know that
nothing but a division of the Re
publican party can give them any
,NnCi11a chow TO
The latest news from Gen. Otis
is decidedly satisfactory. His ac-
tive campaign against Aguinaldo
and his repeated victories have re-
rulted in breaking the backbone Of
the Philippine revolt, and every
thing now points to a speedy end
ing of the fighting, and the capture
of Aguinaldo is hoped for. Ad-
miral Dewey has notified the Navy
Department of the arrival in Manila
Bay of the battleship Oregon, in
splendid fighting condition.
Senator Frye, Chairman of the
Senate Committe on Commerce,
who knows the subject about as
well as any man in the country,
does not smile upon the efforts of
the French Panama Canal Com
pany to interest Senators and
Representatives in the Panama
Canal, the latest of which is a
Congressional free excursion, at
the Company,s expense, of four or
five weeks duration, for the pur-
pose of inspection, etc. Mr.. Frye
said: II shall not go on the trip
of inspection planned by the Pan
anna Canal Company. was urged
to go, as were other members of
the Senate and House. The men
who are to go down there on pleas
ure jaunt know about as much now
concerning the merits of one route
over the other as they will when
they reach home. | have been
building the Nicaragua Canal for
twenty-five years. Away back
when Dick Thompson was Secre-
taIy of the Navy, we had a Com
mittee to investigate the feasibility
of routes. We sat for about six
months and examined a multitude
of witnesses. These witnesses
established the utter impossibility
of Il sea level canal over the
Panama route, as De LeSseps had
proposed. Then the Chagres river
was considered. The investigation
in that line established the fact
that man could not control the
waters, although God might. The
Committee made no report, and
about the only direct outcome Of
the investigation was the establish
ment of a [. S. coaling station by
the Navy Department, in compli-
ance with our personal requests.
When | was in Paris (Senator
Frye was one of our Peace Com
missioners) they were after me
perpetually regarding the Panama
Canal; | met friends of the project
on every hand" 1t is very evil
dent that Senator Frye thinks we
should steer clear of the Panama
Canal scheme.
Maj. Demeritt, a member of the
staff of Gen. Otis, is in Washington
on sick leave. AS he came direct
from Manila, his opinion is entitled
to weight. He said: "Nobody
who has seen the Philippines could
ever be in favor of surrendering
them. | am satisfied that it is to
the best interests of this country to
keep them, for their resources are
varied and valuable, and they will
eventually be d source of large
profit. 1t is not going to take a
very great while to reduce the in
surgent Filipinos to subsection.
The more enlightened and well-to-
do class of mixed Spanish blood