The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-05-21
THE SENATE Is
PLAYING A HAND
SkirmiShing Begins In The SpeakerSh,p
Fight.
QUAY AN IMPORTANT FACTOR
No Truce Between the Two Wings Of
the Army.
MILES ONLY A FlGUREHEAD
He Knows Nothing of the Operations
of the Army He May Ask to Be
Relieved of Commanding
Generalship.
ONLY A FIGUREHEAD

Washington, May 20.-(Special.) -This
week has witnessed some preliminary
skirmishing in the speakership fight which
Is likely to develop into the beginning of
the campaign next week. 1t grows more
evident day by day that the senate side of
the capitol is taking much more interest
in this contest than usual, and will have
good deal to say in regard to the result.
Beyond doubt the future of Quay Is 60
ing to play large part in the coming
fight, and it has already been decided
among certain class of senators that the
best policy for the party would be the
election of either Representative Sherman
or General Henderson to the speakership.
There seems to be a tacit understanding
between the friends of General Henderson
and Mr.. Sherman that the two candidates
shall work. as it were, together and that
if one finds that the other cannot win he
is to turn his strength to the leading one
and prevent the election of Hopkins or
any of the other candidates
Several senators have been in the city
during the past week, and have quietly
gone over the situation, and next week
Senator Allison is coming on from Iowa
During the situation he will canvass the
various candidates strength having es-
pecial regard to the claims of General Hen
derson. 1t is said that If he finds that the
east and the southern votes are for Mr.
Sherman that he will advise General Hen
derson to withdraw when the Iowa delega-
ton will be thrown to the New Yorker.
The Pennsylvania delegation has been
Spanning for time, carrying on sort of
political Irritation between General Hen
derson and Mr.. Sherman. In order to keep
clear of all combinations and be able at
the last moment to do whatever will be to
the advantage of Quay, the Pennsylvania
delegation has brought out Representative
Bingham. General Bingham will get the
complimentary vote of the delegation in
caucus and there his sporadic candidacy
will end. In the meantime Quay will have
had time to discuss the matter over, and
at the right time throw the vote where 1t
will do him the most good.
OF course Representative Hopkins and
his friends are not viewing all these ma
chinations without any i'll feeling. AL
ready there is considerable bitterness ex-
pressed by this hardy young westerner and
his friends that the senate should dare to
NEEDLE with the fight and try to fix the
cards for either Sherman or Henderson.
1t is pity for Hopkins that Senator Gull
lom has already declared in favor of seat
ing Quay. With this vote still in doubt
Hopkins could get good deal for 1t in the
way of votes. Senator Mason is still hold
ing off, however, and il he is willing to
provoke a quarrel with Quay's friends he
may do something for Illinois candidate
for the speakership.
No Armistce in War Department
Matters in the war department don't i'm
prove much between the rival factions
there. The conditions there are, to say
the least, anomalous The secretary of
war is holding conferences with the var
ious chiefs of bureaus to which the COM
manding general is not invited. General
Miles has to all intents and purposes been
frozen out of the war department cabinet,
as 1t Is known. General Miles, 1t is said,
knows nothing of the operations in the
Philippines, or of the military policies in
Porto Rico and Cuba, and this in spite Of
the fact that he commanded the expedition
that added Porto Rico to this country.
This is strange state of affairs, and 1t
would seem that 1t could not last much
longer. Many here think that General
Miles will asked to be relieved from the
post of commanding general and ask for
an assignment in the Philippines 1t is
very doubtful If he would be sent there,
even should he make this request.
In the mean time he is putting in his
spare moments writing a history of the
Greco-Turkish war. The war department
is the busiest in the city at this time. The
secretary, through the adjutant general,
gives all his orders and receives all his re-
ports direct from the generals In the field.
General Otis has 10000 men in the Philip
pines, and General Brooke something like
10 900 men in Cuba, but neither one Of
fcially knows the commanding general.
There are 900 men distributed about the
posts in the United States, over whom
General Miles has supervision, yet even
General Merriam communicates direct
with Alger about the troubles in Idaho.
No Intention of Weakening
How long can this condition last? is
asked.
The president has no intention of
weakening on his policy toward the Philip
pines, as has been suggested in certain
quarters. He is more than ever convinced
that the archipelago should be added to
the permanent territory of the United
States. The remainder of this administra-
ton will be devoted to fastening more
surely the Philippines to this country and
the president will try to make 1t so bind
ing that 1t will be next to impossible for
another administration to reverse the
policy and restore the Philippines to inde-
pendence. His intentions here are well
known among his friends He prefers to
go down in defeat with the Philippines an
integral part of this country than to be
reelected with any compromise on the
subject.
one term of william Mckinley with
Porto Rico, Hawaii and the Philippines
and possibly Cuba added as territory to
the country is more desirable than several
terms with one foot of this territory re-
linquished. His closest personal friends
here say that he fully realizes that the
expansion sentiment of the east, to,
gether with the free silver sentiment OF
the south and west might be combined to
defeat him, but that before this can be
done he will make it next to impossible
for subsequent administration to undo
what he has done or rob him in history OF
one acre acquired during his term OF ONCE.
New Executive Mansion
An attempt will be made in the next con-
gress to pass a bill either authorizing
new executive mansion or else providing
an elaborate change In the ground work of
the present one. Mrs. Mckinley Is more
oeeply interested In the question of in
ternal and domestic expansion than she