Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-01-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Jan 8, 1895

Senator Mason fired an unexpected bomb
shell into the ranks of the Philippine
annexationists when be offered his resolu-
ton. starting with a quotation from the
Declaration of Independence where's,
all just powers of government are derived
from the consent of the governed" and de-
claring that the II. S. will not attempt to
govern the people OF any other country
without the consent of the people them
selves. Unless the attitude of Aguinald0
and his followers changes widely from what
the latest official advlces state 1t to be, We
have got to govern them by force or not at
ALL
Representative Bailey won his constitu-
tional fight without a report from the
House Judiciary Committee. although the
members of the Committee are understood
to be unanimous in the belief that the
acceptance of commission in the Volun-
teer army by Representative vacates bis
seat in the House. Gar Reed won Mr..
Baiiey's fight for him by refusing to certify
the vouchers for the pay of the three mem
bers of the House who hold commissions.
The mail of Southern Senators and Rep
resentatives is full of protests from ex Con-
federate soldiers against the proposal OF
Senator Butler, of North Carolina, to give
u S. pensions. Senator Pascal presented q
formal memorial to the Senate against the
Butler idea from the Confederate veterans
of Ocala, Fla.
The House has administered its annual
scare to the Civil Service Commission and
and it was more real than usual Thie
time the House, sitting as Committee OF
the Whole, actually voted to sfrke out the
appropriation for the Civil Service Commits
sion in the Executive, Legislative and J udi
ciaI bill. When the aye and nay vote was
taken, however, the appropriation got 8
majority and this years scare was over.
Senator Caffrey of Louisiana, and Repre-
sentative Swanson, of Virginia, made
speeches in support of Senator Vests reso
luton declaring Colonial system to be
prohibited by the q. 5. Constitution. Mr.
Swanson after pointing out that, in hik
opinion, the trade advantages we woulo
secure by the annexation of the Philippines
would not begin to balance the expense OF
keeping them, stated his belief that the
main support of the Imperialislic policy
came from those who are working to bring
about an offensive and defensive alliance
between the q. S. and Great Britain. SEN
ator Cafffey's speech was reply to thai
made before the holiday recess by Senator
Platt, of Connecticut. He said: Here the
bold proposition is advanced that the righl
to govern is broad and imperial and with
out Limitation in our Constitution. If the
argument advanced by the Senator ono
Connecticut be true and sound, then the
individual rights Of man are to be held by
the U. S. under Congressional despotism
Our Constitution knows no despotism ii
sedulousIy provides against despotism but
right here is a desp0tism of the most fla
grant character possible"
No one doubts that the treaty of peace,
which went to the Senate last week, will 10
due time receive the necessary number OF
votes to ratify it with number to spare
but it does not necessarily follow that the
Senate will in the meantime consent to be
muzzled. This was fully demonstrated
when the Senate adopted over the vigorous
protest of Senator Davis, Chairman of the
Committee on Foreign Relations, and late
Peace Commissioner, Senator Hoar's reso
luton calling upon the President, if not
Incompatible with public interests, to send
to the Senatecopies of all instructions given
to the Peace Commissioners and of all cor
res pondence with the Peace Commissioners
during their stay in Paris. The Senate
took the ground that it ought to have this
information before voting on the treaty.
The boys who tried to eat the "em-
balmedp beef issued to them in Cuba and
Porto Rico will have to read the testimony
of AlgeAcontrolled army officers in order
TO find out what elegant beef that was and
how mistaken they were in finding fault
with it. A man who was in both places
and who knew what he was talking about
remarked: "The testimony of some OF
these officers is quite as nauseatiDg to me
as that embalmed beef was
There are seasons for the belief that his
dickering with Aguinaldo cost E. Spencer
Pratt the position of U. s. Consul at Singa-
pore, to which Robert A. Mosley, Jr, OF
Alabama, has been nominated. Pratt was
largely responsible for Aguinaldo's being
taken to Manila by Admiral Dewey, fact
of which be boosted in recently published
Official correspondence. 1t is stated that
Pratt resigned his position, but he was
probably officially invited to do 80.
As rule, Democrats in Congress decline
to discuss for publication the statement
against silver and in favor of expansion
made by Richard Croker, head of the Tam
many organization. further than TO say
that they accept Mr.. Cookers assertion
and that as such ii is worth no more than
the opinion of any other individual Demo-
crat of equal prominence. Privately nam.
Der of them haye expressed the opinion that
so far ae anything he can accomplish by
going to the Democratic National Couven-
lion is concerned Mr Creker might inst as
well stay at home.