The Press., 1899-01-19
Washington Letter.
washington Jan. IS, 189

Washington Jan. 16, 1899
Gen. Miles has made many new friends
by the dignifield manner in which he has
carried himself while smariing under the
dirty personal attack made upon him by
Commissary General Eagan, in his testi-
mony before the war investigating COM
mission. To a man of General Miles
temperament, it has been no easy matter
to sit still and say nothing while waiting
for the war department to call down and
punish his subordinate for having called
him about every known sort of liar.
Congress is also waiting to see something
done, some punishment meted that will
fit the crime, and If something isn't done
very soon, congress may take the bit in
its teeth and do something itself The
action of President Mckinley in compell-
ing General Eagan, through Secretary
Alger, to revise his testimony and leave
out the obiectional language, isn't salts
factory to anybody, because it doesn't
punish and humiliate Eagan sufficiently.
Senators and representatives have very
freely expressed the opinion that General
Eagan has demonstrated his unfitness to
hold such an important and responsible
position: regardless to General Miles, and
not few of them have said he should be
cashiered.
The routine business in house and SEN
ate is being pushed along as rapidly as
| session, continue to grow, owing to the
uncertainty about many things in the SEN
ate, and especially about the time that
will be consumed by the treaty.
In all the numerous fights to have exec
| utive sessions of the senate held with
open doors, Senator Hoar had, until the
present contest, over Senator Berry's mo-
tion to consider the treaty of peace with
open doors, always been one of the most
| valued fighters for secret executive ses-
| sion. Consequently, his speech in support
Of Mr.. Berry's motion was surprising to
many of his colleagues as we'll as to the
| public. Open executive sessions of the
senate may come some day, but they are
not yet in sight.
Two funerals were never held in the
| capitol so close together as that of Sena.
tor Morrill,, held in the senate chamber a
fortnight ago, and that of Representative
Dingley, held in the house of representa-.
tives today. Those who are superstitious
enough to believe that calamities usually
travel In punches of three, are wondering
who will be the next man of prominence
to die.
| The Nicaragua canal bill will be votee
upon by the senate this week. 1t will
pass by large majority-possibly with
out division. The house Interstate and
foreign commerce committee will devote
about all of this week to hearings ON the
five or six canal bills, all differing in some
way from the Morgan bill that will be
passed by the senate. Many of the friends
of the canal say that it's worst enemies
are posing as its friends, In order to stave
off action by congress. A representative
who Is always wide awake when on duty
said: "The railroads and other hostile In.
1uences are putting feather beds on the
track of the canal bill, and trying to ditch
the train SO gently that nopody will realize
what has happened until all is over. They
are proposing endless schemes for digging
the ditch-all purporting to be better thar
the one embraced in the Morgan bill. Ii
looks as though they might win Out
along that line. but congress may get i'm
patient and take matters out Of the hands
of the filibusters and pass a measure out
! of hand"
Senators are enjoying themselves a.
the expense Of their new colleague, Mr.
Simon, of Oregon, who is reported to have
asked for what Is regarded as the mos
important committee assignment in thu
senate. A senator speaking of him said
"Simon Is peach. He beats anything W.
| have had here for some time. Just think
| Of it, before he had been in the senate q
hours, he filed an application fora a position
i en- the committee ON rules. Now, if h,
had asked for the craftsmanship of appro
priations, finance, or judiciary, it wouldn'
have been so remark kable. But to thinl
of Ills wanting to go on the rules commit
tee before he had been here long enough
to know how to make motion to ad
| iourn. Aldrich, | understand, nearly hat
a fit when Simon made his wishes known
to him. Poor Aldrich, he always was
tender-hearted 1t cost him a severe pans
TO turn Simon down. It's fact, I've go
his word for it. Simon HASN'T been PLACED
yet. When he is, I'm afraid that he will
be disappointed, think that he has
fair prospect of getting on the committee
to look after ventilation in the intero
department"
+ "A war department official in his anxiet,
to strongly deny reports about our soldier
at Manila being discontented, made 1
statement that doesn't exactly gee will
the official announcement that the new
from Dewey and Olis is all good. IL
said that far from being discontented, al
the volunteers at Manila who had applie
for discharge had withdrawn their appli
cations, as soon as they saw that tbtr
was prospect for some fighting. Ii ther
is prospect of some lighting beforeD ID, we
and Otis, somebody must have stretche
their conscitnces to say that all the new
, from them was good. A prospect fo
fighting is certainly not to he consi.le Ter,
good ews. ~,
/. / IKfM I'm