The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-04-07
FROM THE CAPITAL.
Our Correspondent Talks In
General About Wash
ington.
Communicated
AsHlNGToN. April 8, 1899.


I New York Republican who came
to Washington for the purpose,
when it was announced that Gov.
"Teddy" Roosevelt was in the
field for the Republican Presiden-
tial nomination, next year, and
that there was an understanding
between General Miles and
"Teddy.n The General has been
credited with entertaining a SINH
lar ambition himself. Some of
Mr.. McKinley's friends appear to
think that he is bound to be re-
nominated and reelected, but
those of them who are long head
ed and who have had experience
in politics, do not look at things
that way; they know that both
Roosevelt and Miles have quail
ties which are calculated to arouse
the enthusiasm and support of
the young men In their party, and
that with good management a
combination of their following
might give the Hanna. Mckinley
machine a hard fight, if not an
actual throw down. If this an
nOuncement is straight, Boss
Platt must have failed in his eff
forts to keep "Teddy" off the Me
Kinley track.
With all Gar Reeds faults,
and he has enough and to spare,
he has never been sneaky
fighter, which is more than can be
said for the administration crowd,
which is afraid to come out in the
open and try to defeat Reed for
the Speakership, but is engaged
i'll trying to bluff him into not
being a candidate, by stating that
the administration has deter
mined to throw its influence for
Reed, but with the express under
standing that the rules of the
next House shall be changed so
as to cut out all the Gar business.
The idea is that Reed would not
care to be Speaker, if he be shorn
OF the autocratic power he has
welded. This is on par with
the talk which at times has been
heard ever since Reed first became
Speaker, about Republicans who
were going to unite with the
Democrats to change the rules
and curtail the power of the
Speaker. They never did so. and
If the Republicans elect Reed
Speaker of the House again, as
they will almost surely do. he will
be the same old Gar.
: 1t has been Brought out in the
testimony before the Military
Court of Inquiry that General
Eagan told Boston contractor
and Texas cattle raiser. who
mad a bid for furnishing beef on
the hoof, that Secretary Alger
had practically ordered him to
try the refrigerated beef, which
Swift Il Company claimed to
have secret process of preserv
ing, as an experiment. The
longer the court sits, the worse
things look for the Alger- Eagan
crowd, and Major Lee. who is
representing General Miles, saws
he has a lot more witnesses on
his list. But as the meat has al.
ready been fully proven to have
been bad, the court NAV decide
that 1t is unnecessary to hear all
these witnesses.
Mr. Mckinley has apparently
at last become aroused to the
danger to his own political for.
tunes. OF retaining Alger in his
cabinet, and, unless all the polit.
zeal wise men are at fault. the
SEX" is hot on the trail of Alger
and cannot fail to catch up with
nm very soon. 1t has been,
these men say, fully determined
by Boss Hanna and the other di.
rectOrs of the administration ma.
chine that Alger must go. They
prefer that he should do so will.
lngly, but if he declines to tender
his resignation without being re-
queSted to do so by Mr.. McKin.
ley then Mr.. Mckinley will
make that request. From a
strictly selfish point of view. Dem.
ocrats would that Mr.. Mckinley
should keep Alger in his cabinet.
for then it would be impossible
for the administration to denv
the responsibility for Algerism
and all its horrors, but Democrats
are too patriotic to wish to see a
man filling the responsible posi-.
ton of Secretary of War. who
deserves to kicked out, just to
make political capital for their
party; they wish, above every
thing else, to see the affairs of the
government properly administer.
ed, and know that they will not
De IN the War Department, as
long as Alger is at its head.
A grOuD of army officars ,,o,o