Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1899-08-04

Convention, He will Endorse Whoever en-
Whatever May be the Peoples Choice-Wh
is to Direct the War Department ?-Th
Presidents Indirect Support of Newspapc
Censorship.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, July %, 1899.
/ That the administration fears Alge
and the disclosures he may make afte
next Tuesday, when he will turn tn,
War Department over to Mr. ElilIl
Root who will become Secretary o
War on that day, is shown by the fire.
quency with which leading supporter
OF Mr.. McKinley's policy are giving
interviews to newspapers jollying AL
ger along as the victim of persecution
and predicting that time will vindi
cate him and his administration of the
War Department. The object o
these interviews is to keep Alger'.
mouth shut. Whether the ruse viii
succeed only time can tell. Fol
months Ayers personal friends anG
hangers-on have been making threats
as to what he would do if he wal
forced out of the Cabinet, and init
mating that he could tell things thai
would shift the responsibility which
he has been made to bear to other
shoulders. 1t is now up to Alger and
| he must show whethe there was foun.
dation for those threats or whether
they were merely part of bluffing
game he played to try to remain in
the Cabinet, after he knew that he
was expected to get out. Another
scheme is also being worked to keep
Alger quiet through the pockets of
himself and friends. 1t has been
limited to him that some Cuban and
Porto Rican business deals in which
he and his friends are financially in
terested will be knocked out if he at
tempts to smirch the administration,
while they will be let alone if he
keeps mum about administration Sc
crets.
The Navy Department seems also to
have some fake experts. In order to
prevent the battleships Ohio, Missouri,
and Maine. now being built, drawing
so much water that they could not
enter half OF our largest seaports, it
has been found necessary to change
their plans, by substituting 11-inch
for 12-inch armor and 12-inch guns
for 13-inch guns.
Representative Clayton, of Alabama,
attended the recent meeting OF the
Democratic National Committee, of
which he is member, and while in
Washington, this week, he talked
very Interestingly of political matters.
For instance, he said: 81 learned
while in Chicago that Bryan would be
delegate to the next National DEM
ocratic Convention, and do not VIC.
late any confidence in saying that if
future developments should give Pc
culiar emphasis to any public ques-
ton, and should lead majority of the
delegates to regard any other faithful
Democrat as better fitted to lead The
party, Mr.. Bryan will arise in his
place in the Convention and support
that candidate. know that he has
no selfish purposes to serve, and re-
CARDS victory for the party as para.
mount to any ambitions which he
may have. l look upon Bryan's re.
nomination as a foregone conclusion.
He has the confidence of the common
Democracy OF the country, as no other
man has or could have. The Demo-
cratic masses support him without re-
gard to section. He is stronger than
any faction of the party, and can
come nearer TO uniting all the ele-
ments of the party than any other
man."
If Secretary Root is to be only the
legal adviser of the War Department,
who is going 10 direct its military az
fairs? That is ikely to become an
important question when active oper-
atoms in the Philippines begin again.
Gen. Miles would be the proper Of
fetal, but there is nothing in sight to
Indicate that he is to be allowed any
more authority than he has welded
since Adjutant General Corbin began,
at the opening of the war with Spain,
to perform the duties which properly
belonged to the commanding general
Of the army. 1t was supposed that
Alger directed Corbin, and it has been
intimated that Mr.. Mckinley will do
| so in the future. Mr.. Mckinley was
doubtless q brave soldier, but the his
torians neglected to record the cam.
paigns in which he commanded an
army. OF course, every school boy
knows that the constitution makes
the President commander-in.ch chief OF
the U. S. army and navy, but that
authority has usually only been exer-
cised to direct general policy, leav.
ing military operations to be directed
by trained soldiers. Perhaps Mr.. Nc
Kinley intends giving the country an
innovation by actually assuming COM
mand of the army and navy.
The newspaper censorship OF Gen.
Otis cannot be duplicated in this
country, but perhaps Mr.. Mckinley
intended to show his sympathy for
the method when he ordered tina. no
newspaper man should be allowed in
the special train which carried him
and his party from Washington to the
shore OF Lake Champlain, where he
will remain for an indefinite period
This is the first time that any Presi.
dent has objected to being accompa.
MED by newspaper men, when going
from Washington on a pleasure trip.
Before leaving Washington, Mr..
Mckinley made positive promise to
Gen. Garcia that rs soon as the Gu
ban census was completed he would
issue the necessary orders for the hold
ing of municipal elections all over the
island, preparatory to the establish
ment OF independent home rule.
Dem.