Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-08-26
SECRETARY ROOT
Pushing Things LIVELY No Antics
West OF Chicago The Aid 10 the
Cuhars.

Cuhars.
prom our RsgnIsr Coryesropaentl
Washington, Aug. ai. Secretary i<oot
Is giving the country q Striking exaioiuon
of what can be- accom- oiished 5y hastills,
even In the month cl August Wssleh MS
aot to be So generally recognized "a Of
fetal circles IS vacation time, he has
caused everything connected wirtl the
sending of the volunteers 10 the Philip
pines 10 be advanced considerably from
The f5rst estimates, and il IS now pfacti-
callv certain that the last of the lrst ten
reoirnents will be landed at Manila not
later than October, and arrangements have
Already been made by which the other ten
regiments, the order for the enllstlng OF
which was only issued several days ago,
will reach Manila within week, before or
after. of December /. No troops ever
took the field anywhere better equipped
than these men will be or better provided
in every respect for campaigning IN the
tropics. They will all be armed with the
Krap- Torgensen rife, of which the War
Department has now full supply. and
amply supplied with smokeless ammuni-
ton. When all the troops get over there
viii be more than 90 600 men in the Phil-
ippines. 1t is not believed that so many
men will be needed to do the lighting,
but Secretary Root intends to have them
there so that every town taken from the
Fillpinos can be held, instead OF aban-
doned, as in the last campaign. II there
is as much hustling at the other end as
there has been in Washington. the cam
paign will be short and decisive.
Secretary Wilson, who has just re-
turned from a Western trip all the way TO
the Pacific coast. upon which he went to
study agricultural conditions SO as to make
the work of the Agricultural Department
as helpful to the farmers in that section
as possible, SAYS the talk about senti-
ment in the west against the Philippine
policy of President McKinleyis all manu-
featured in the east, and that he did not
meet single amt" west OF Chicago
although he met hundreds OF men, in all
stations of life. He found the farmers
prosperous all through the West, End es-
pecially SO in the corn belt. He says the
wheat crop Of that section will be little
short, but that the crop OF corn and oats
and other farm products are enormous
Speaking Of the annexation sentiment in
the West, Secretary Wilson said: The
people of the West understand this ques-
ton better than do those OF the East.
They know that Dewey was sent to the
Philippines to protect our large and grow
ing trade with the Orient. We have la
bored to build up trade with China and
Japan, and when the war began Spain had
feet in Oriental waters ready to attack
and destroy our commerce. She also was
ready to encourage priyateering, and
Dewey went to Hong Kong to be ready to
protect our shipping. He destroyed the
Spanish fleet as the safe way to prevent
1t from preylng upon American merchant
ships. Had the battle resulted in a vic
tory for Spain rather than for Dewey, the
Spanish feet would have crossed the Pa
clfic to attack our Western ports, The
people out West realize this. and they
also realize that Dewey's victory and the
subsequent events which transferred the
Philippines to the United States have
given an extraordinary impetus to the
commerce of this country with the Orient.
AT all the Pacific ports the docks are
piled up with goods awaiting shipment to
the Orient, and we have not ships enough
to carry them. The people of the West
regard the Pacific as an American lake.
which should be covered with ships carry
ing the American flag, and don't know
but they are about right. Why, | went
on one big ship. loading at Tacoma, and
] found in the cargo lumber, wheat and
flour from the state of Washington; but
ter and eggs from Iowa and Michigan;
fruit from California and Oregon; steel
from Alabama; cotton goods from the
Carohnas; bicycles from Chicago; notions
from New England and something more
than half the states in the Union. This
cargo was bound for China and Japan,
and it represented every section and near
ly every branch of industry in the United
States. 1t showed me more clearly than
/ had ever seen before the general inter-
est we all have in this Oriental trade"
General Merritt. who was the first
American commander in the Philippines,
has gone to Lake Champlain, at Pres dent
Mcklnley's request, presumably to talk
about Philippine affairs. This has re-
vlved the rumor that General Merritt
would return to the Philippines, but no
confirmation can be obtained in official
circles.
The Washington committee that is col
Letting money for the relief of the Porto
Rico hurricane sufferers has received
checks for $3.50 each from President Nc
kinley, Vice-President Hobart and Sec
rotary Root. The latter has appointed a
National Committee, to take charge Of
the distribution of contributions, to which
all local committees will report. Ex-Sec-
Rotary Bliss IS chairman of this committee.