The Opelousas courier., 1899-09-02
Washington, ID. c., News.
From onr Regular Correspondent.
Washington, Aug. 2S, 1899

the administration Is at present
carefully conceaIing any disposi-
ton 1t may have to enter upol
such policy, the dispositlo., Is
! believed to exist, and that cues
lion may become a leading ore in
next year $ Presidential campaign
In displomatic circles it is be-
Eeved that the first steps toward
such a policy may have already
been taken, and that the s,,spen-
sion Of DR.. Bedloe as &. S. Consul
at Canton; China, at the request of
the government of China, is one
of them, although it is stated at
the State Department the sus-
pension of DR.. Bedloe was brought
about by some irregularity in con-
nectlon with his issuing papers to
an American vesse! engaged in
supplying arms and ammunition to
the Filipinos and in issuing GER
titicates to Chinese merchants
trading with the Philippines.
The present attitude of great
ness occupied by the U. S. was
attained by following from the
days of Washington a policy of
strictly attending to our own af-
fairs and leaving the people of
other nations to do the same.
The glamour of foreign conquest
has turned the head of the peo-
pie of other nations many times
in the past, and a few months ago
there appeared to be danger that
the Americans would be blinded
by the same glamour, but the
common sense for which Amcri-
cans are renowned, has come to
the rescue, and our people are
realizing not only the meaning,
but the danger of the adoption of
an imperialistic policy by the !
United States, and present inai-
cations are that the realization
will result in restoration of the
Democratic party to power, and
resumption Of the only safe for
eign policy for this government to
follow.
Men who at the beginning sup
ported the expansion policy of
the administration, are now Sc
verely criticising. the results OBJ
tanned by following that policy.
For instance, the Washington
Post, which has to all intents and
purposes been an expansion sheet,
says editerially EITHER we have |
not the genius and the tempera-
ment for successful colonization, |
or we have been grotesquely un-
fortunate i'll the selection Of our
agents. 1t is impossible to see at |
this moment where and in what |
respect we have accomplished |
important either in Gu
ba or in the Philippines. In the
latter we have undertaken to set
up the regime of law and order
and civilization. and we have
failed usterly In the case of
Cuba we have undertaken to give
the people self-government, or
1t least to test their capacity in
that line, and we have done
neither. In the Philippines we
have for six months or more been
engaged in petty and perfectly
fruitless war with the natives.
In Cuba the government consists
IF military autocracy, little if
my more beneficent than that
by the Spanish Cover
ler Generals in times of peace.
In Luzon it is actual war we have
upon our hands. In Cuba it is
'meuldering discomfort, turbu-
ence in various parts Of the land,
md a fatuous and feeble tyranny
n Havana
The prediction that all of the
$4,000 volunteers authorized by
Congress would be enlisted, has
,een almost verified. An order
or the enlistment of one more
additional regiment which will
,ring the number of volunteers
learly up to the limit, has been
ssued by Secretary Root, and the
lew regiment will be composed of
negroes. The officers will, of
curse, be white men.
Notwithstanding the statement
# Secretary Gage that the Treas
Try would he able to meet all of
he expenses incidental to the
arge army we are preparing to
end to the Philippines, in addi-
ion to other governmental ex-
'enses. without asking Congress
o impose new war taxes or issu-
ng more bonds, expert financiers
gho have carefully studied the
natter, and whose opinions are
lot influenced by rolitica! exi
encies, still predict that more
'onds or more taxes will be ne
essary, and when it is remsm
ered that there was deficit of
80, 100000 in round figures. at
he close of the fiscal year, the
seems reasonable. 1t
nay also be mentioned that special
gents of the Internal Revenue
Bureau are known to have been
for months in investiga-
ing the working of the various
tamp taxes presumably with All