The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1899-03-11
IN NO BLAZE OF GLORY
DID THE LVTH CONGRESS CLOSE.
1T SiZZLED AND SUFFERED
Like Spent Roman Candie.-Last OF
The Two Billion Dollar Congress-
Defeat of the Hull and Mica ragua
Bills.-Our Soldiers Poisoned by the
Rotten Alger Beef.
ROOM OF THE SEA COAST ECHO.
No. II Sun Building.
Washington, D. c., March s. 1899.

! No Il sun bullOlnS.
Washington, D, c., March s. 1899.
I Well the Fiftv-ffth Congress
has expired by statute of limlta-
tions. 1t did not 60 up in a blaze
of glory. 1t Sizzled and sputter-
ed like a spent Roman candle.
The next will probably be worse,
but this one was bad enough. 1t
had unusual opportunities and
used them-mostly in adding to
the already heavy burden of taxa
ton that the people bear. 1t can
we'll be called the 1.-TWO Billion
Dollars Congress. " The only
trouble about the term is that
most of us cannot scratch our
imaginations enough to get any
idea of what two billions repre-
SentS.
! The closing days were nearly
all spent in passing appropriation
bills 1t means considerable to
the taxpayer when he has to help
provide for these big appropria-
tions, but the process of making
! them lawful is stupid and not edi-
fving. The most high minded
member is tempted TO ''log roll
when it comes to getting home
Improvement that he has promls-
ed his constituents.
1t is too soon to get good per-
spective to analyze what this Con-
oress did and did not do. One
can only comment on fragments
of important business that fOated
to surface in the last week. When
the atmosphere clears a little we
can figure out how much campaign
material we got out of it. 1t Is
certain that the Democrat and re-
| form forces got nothing else worth
mentioning. But the Democrats
made a good fight and put pref
| ty sharp check on the wild extra
vagancc of the administration out
fit. This was all the more credit
| able because 50 many Democratic
Senators and congressman are
about to be retired and when Il
man does not know whether he
will ever come back or not there
is not much to encourage him
in fight for principle.
About the best thing that hap
pened was the defeat of the Hull
army bill. We need not have our
dreams distur bed by a vision of
an immense standing army to COW
us into submission to plutocratic
rule. We will only have the tenn
porary Increase until 1901. This
was the best thing that could be
done. We have provided for all
| defenscs and the next Congress
cannot very we'll change it.
| No doubt the Miles canned and
embalmed beef investigation help
ed to kill the army bin, Wash
ington simply reels with the tes-
timony of those poor fellows who
we're starved and poison with bad
beef. 1t is a clear case of the gov
ernment by dishonest contrac-
tors. The silence of the grave
cnfolds many a poor fellow who
might have testified what shorten
ed his life more effectively than
bullet.
What a spectacle we made of
ourselves getting our little $20,
| 600 900 all voted and neatly tied
up in canvas bag ready to pay
Spain for the Philippines. And
the Spanish putting up the bluff
of dissolving their ministry and
taking their time to decide about
ratifying the treaty.
This was our chance to decline
to pay for the islands and just as
sert our right to them long enough
to give the natives freedom.
What do we care whether some
European nations grabs an island
or two. We have no business out
in that tropical waste. Fhen
the kind Of warfare in which the
FlIipinos indulge would make
other nations Z bit careful about
singcing their paws, trying to rake
the chestnuts out oI the fire.
But here we are holding out the
$50. 900. 900 and looking foolish
and Spain taking her time to
sooth her wounded pride and pre-
tending she isn't hungry for them.
But we have fitly begun our Phil
lioine folly and the politicians Of
the Hanna and Alger stripe neith-
er do they know nor care where
it will end. The Philippines will
be the great excuse for corrupt
ion and trust-grahbing for years
to come.
| Just while we are speaking Of
our rfore1gn.possessions, 1T beginsto
Dermeate the official mind that the
/ Cubans do not want annexation and
wish we would move our army off
the island. Not very grateful
we'll. what business have we there
ANYHOW if Cuba is to be indepen-
dent. They have offered to en-
list 1000 of their own men as
soldiers to protect the island.
They can do it better than our
unac climated troops. About the
only thing we have done thus far
lis to permit some doubtful fran
chise grabbing, and pay the Cuban
army and pay the Cuban poor:
We might try the experiment of