Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-02-02

norlty substitute increasing the stunu-
ing army to 10000 men and lodging
with the President discretionary pow
er to call out 10000 volunteers Tor
emergency service, and proposition
to continue temporarily the regular
army at It's present war strength, w.
600 men.
The secretary of war has Invited the
members of the military committees OF
both houses Of Congress to take trip
to Cuba and Porto Rico Immediately
after adjournment on the 4th of March.
The date of departure now fixed Is
March 9th, and the Berlin. which Is
! the most comfortable of the transports.
has been ordered to report at New
/ York for service mt that time. They
will go first to Havana, and then visit
Santiago and two or three other Of the
Cuban ports where there are camps of
American soldiers. A voyage will
then be made to Porto Rico, where the
party will remain for about n week.
visiting the principal cities and camps
of that island.
! The case of Commlssary General
1 Charles Il. Eagan, charged with con-
| duct unbecoming an officer and a gen.
tleman, and with conduct tending to
the prejudice of good order and mill
tary discipline. closed Friday. The
taking of testimony was finished and
arguments of counsel submitted. The
trial had LASTED three days and con-
sumed less than eight hours of actual
| sitting. A. session behind closed doors
| of an hour or so sutiiced for the court
| to reach conclusion and cmbody 1t in
Its report. What verdict was reached
| Is altogether a matter of speculation.
and officially, at least, will not be made
, public by the trial board, military reg
ulatlons requiring that Its findings go
through prescribed channels and be
kept secret until action be had and pro-
mulgated by the proper reviewing au-
| thorities. 1t is generally believed that
| the verdict will be against Eagan.
Mr.. Grosvenor of Ohio. in n speech
on the army bill Thursday, said the
President had been criticised for not
informing Congress OF his ultimate
purpose regarding the Philippines. The
President was never usurper: he had
never sought and never would seek to
usurp the authority Of Congress. The
| future of the islands was n matter for
Congress to decide The blood of those
who might be sacrificed in the Philip
, pines would be upon the heads Of
. those who opposed the Presidents pol
icy. The President had nobly dis
charged his duty when he found him
self by the accident of war in posses
sion of the Philippines. In conclusion,
Mr.. Grosvenor challenged anyone to
deny, first, that the President had devil
ated from the course mapped out by
Congress; second, that he had usurped
any authority he was not compelled to
assume, and. third, that the settlement
Of the Philippines was question for
the future.
The secretary of war has completed
,i1nf pf a rnlontol {.
sion to undertake the administration
here In Washington, of all matters of
detail respecting the government of the
territories acquired during the war or
occupied by the United States forces.
The personnel of the commission will
be General Robert p. Kennedy Of
Bellefontaine. Ohio; Curtis Guild, Jr.,
of Massachusetts. and George w. Wat
kins of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Up
to this point the secretary and the as
sistant secretary have undertaken
themselves to deal with the admins
tration of insular affairs, but the ques-
tions involved have become so numer-
ous and complicated that It has been
found absolutely necessary to call for
assistance. The commission will dea.
with the bestowal of franchises and
concessions, the distribution of moneys
to be spent in public improvements and
all of the troublesome issues that have
arisen and are likely to arise in Cuba,
Porto Rico and the Philippines.
While formal exchanges have not
taken place, there is an understanding
between the United States and Great
Britain with reference to the Nicara-
qua canal. This understanding is tile
result of recent conferences between
Secretary Hay and Sir Julian Paunce-
fote. the British ambassador. Great
Britain Is willing to abrosate the Clay
ton-Bulwer treaty and to enter into Il
new arrangement which has been sug-
gested on the part of the United States.
This arrangement. as outlined, is that
the canal when opened shall be neu-
tralized The United States Is to con-
struct and operate the canal, but at
the proper time a conference of nations
is to be called and an agreement is to
be entered into whereby the canal
shall be open in war, as well as in
peace, to ships of all nations on the
same terms. In other words, the canal
Is to be neutral territory for the whole
world. This proposition is said to be
entirely acceptable to Great Britain.
That power will readily consent to ac-
cept it as substitute for the Clayton
Bulwer treaty. On the part of the
United States there seems to be no OBJ |
lection to it..
The opposition to the army reorgani-
zation bill on the Republican side of |
the House has become so strong that |
Chairman Hull, on Friday, after Mr..
Henderson of Iowa, one of the floor
leaders Of the majority, had threatened |
to vote to recommit the bill, decided II |
would be wise, in order to secure Its |
passage, to abandon the idea of provid. |
ing directly for Il regular army of |
100000 men. He announced on the |
floor that the committee would offer
amendments to reduce the number
of enlisted men to about 10000, but
lodge in the Presidents discretion the
u,,tl, %xx trnr b.