Gardnerville record. (Gardnerville, Nev.) 1898-1902, 1899-06-20
Official Dispatches Withheld
CIVIL SERVICE WILL WORK
WITH A PULL.
Canal Commission Will Favor Mica
ragua.
(From our regular correspondent.)

(From our regular correspondent.)
Washington, June IL, 1899
Everybody is asking everybody else
why the administration is trying SO hard
to keep the people in the dark about what
is going on in the Philippines, when
only short time ago it was its boast
that it published all the official dis
patches received. It is known from the
press reports that have been allowed to
pass the Military Censor a. Manila,
that hard and fierce fighting has been
going on, and the suspicion is growing
that Gen. Otis is making some use Of
the volunteers who should be on their
way home, II any of the numerous
promises made had been kept, that the
administration doesn't wish their friends
at home to know until whatever is be-
ing attempted is all over. And it is
admitted by officials that there are diff
ferences between General Otis and Mr..
Schurman, President of the Philippine
Commission, but claimed that the differ
ences are unimportant. The public
doesn't care a continental about the
claims made by officials, but it wishes to
know and feels that it has right to
know what is being done with our volun-
teers: hence there Is general feeling of
resentment against the suppression Of
official dispatches.
One Of the principal reasons why Sec
retary Alger desires to retain the War
portfolio, even when he knows that Mr..
Mckinley would like to get rid OF him,
will soon become apparent to close OBJ
servers, as it has been announced that
number of franchises for various more or
less valuable concessions in Porto Rico
are shortly to be granted. 1t might nat
urally be supposed that such franchises,
if granted at all before the establish
ment of the civil government for the isl
and, would be granted by the Military
Governor, but no chances are to be
taken by the men who are after those
franchises; they are to be granted by
Secretary Alger, and it is dollars to gin
ger cakes that every one OF them that is
at all desirable will be captured by his
friends and business associates.
In issuing a second elaborate defense
of Mr.. McKinley's Civil Service order,
Secretary Gage rather overdid his task,
without changing anybody's opinion.
Criticisms of the order have made Mr..
Mckinley very sore, and he has engaged
in the explanation business himself and
even tried to get funny" by telling how
surprised Senators and Representatives
have been who have come after some
of the places excepted from the Civil
Service rules and found that they were
all filed, and that no removals we're con-
templated. He also gave out for publi-
cation letter from the Board of the
Smithsonian Institution, asking that the
heads of all the bureaus of that estab-
lishment be exempted from the Civil
Service rules. So much explanation is
calculated to increase rather than dimin-
ish suspicion of that order. The full
significance of the clause which permits
the reinstatement of any Government
employe, regardless Of how long they
have been out OF the Government serv-
ice, is just beginning to be seen. Under
it every employe who was dismissed dur
ing the two Cleveland administrations
can be reinstated, if they have pull
enough.
Southerners were pleased by the Sc
lection of ex-senator Pascoe of Florida
as one of the nine Commissioners named
by Mr.. Mckinley to make an investiga-
ton Of the Canal route across the 18TH
mus. Representative Underwood of Ala
bama declares that the people of his Sec
ton regard provision for the building OF
a canal one of the most important mat
ters to come before the next Congress.
The last Congress appropriated 81 ,0O0-
900 for this Commission. 1t was under
stood at the time that this provision was
the work of the lobbyists employed by
the Panama Canal Company. Unless
those who think they know are badly
mistaken, the Panama Company is not
likely to profit by the Commission, which
is regarded as almost sure to report in
favor of the Nicaragua route. How soon
this Commission will report is matter
OF doubt, but its members have been re-
quested to try to do 30 before or during
the next session of Congress.