Middletown transcript., 1899-08-26
WASHINGTON LEEFER.
From our special Correspondent.

From our Special Correspondent.
Secretary Root is giving the countr!
striking exhibition OF what can h
accomplished By hustling. even in th.
n NTH of August, which has got to b
80 generally recognized in officia
circles as vacation time. He has
caused everything connected with the
sending of the volunteers to the Philip.
pines to be advanced considerably
from the first estimates, and it is now
practically certain that the last of the
first ten legiments will be landed al
Manila not later than October, and
arrangements have already been made
by which the other ten regiments, the
order for thu eDlisting of which was
only issued several days ago, will
reach Manila within a week, before or
after, of December l. No troops ever
took the field anywhere better equipped
than these men will be or better pro-
vided IN every respect for campaigning
In the tropics. They will all be armed
with the Krag-Jorgensen rifle, of which
the War Department now has full
supply, and amply supplied with
smOkeless ammunition. When all the
troops get over there will be more than
1000 men In the Philippines. 1t is
not believed that so many men will be
needed to do the fighting, but Sscre-
tary Root intends to have them there
SO that every town taken from the Fill
pinos can be held, instead Of .h,ndoned,
as in the last campaign. If there is
as much hustling at the other end as
there has been in Washington, the
campaign will be short and decisive.
Secretary Wilson, who has just re-
turned from western trip all the way
to the Pacific coast: upon which he
went to study agricultural conditions
so as to make the work Of the Agri-
cultural Department as helpful to the
farmers in that section as possible, says
the talk about sentiment in the west
against the Philippines policy of
President Mckinley is all maDufac- |
tured in the east, and that he did not |
meet a single "anti" west of Chicago,
he met hundreds of men, in
all stations of life. He found the far
mers prosperous all through the west,
and especially so in the corn belt. He
says the wheat crop Of that section will |
be little short, but that the crop of
com and oats and other farm products
are enormous. Speaking of the annex.
alton sentiment in the west, Secretary
Wilson said: 1.-THE people of the west
understand this question better than
10 those of the east. They know that
Dewey was sent to the Philippines to
protect our large and growing trade
with the Orient. We have labored to
build up trade with China and Japan,
md when the war began Spain had a
1eet 10 Oriental waters ready to attack
md destroy our commerce. She also
was ready to encourage privateering,
Ind Dewey went to Hongkong to be
'eady to protect our shipping. He de-
Itroyed the Spanish feet as the safe
way to prevent it from preying upon
American merchant ships Had the
,attle resulted in victory for Spain
'ather than for Dewey, the Spanish
Ieet would have crossed the Pacific to
Ittack our western ports. The people
nut west realize this, and they also
ealize that Dewey's victory and the
ubsequent events which transferred
be Philippines to the U. S. have given
N extraordinary impetus to the COM
nerce Of this country with the Orient.
1t all the Pacific ports the docks are
lied up with goods awaiting shipment
o the Orient, and we have not ships
nough to carry them. The people of
he west regard the Pacific as an Ameri-
an L Ike, which should be covered
7ith ships carrying the American flag,
nd don't know but they are about
light. Why went on one big ship,
oaded at Tacoma, and I found in the ]
argo lumber, wheat and flour from the
tate of Washington; butter and eggs
rom Iowa and Michigan;fruit from CAL
fornia aud Oregon; ;steelfrom Alabama;
otton goods from the CRrolinas; bicy- :
les from Chicago; notions from New I
England, and something from more t
han half the States in the Union.
his cargo was bound for China and G
apan, and it represents every section
nd nearly every branch of industry in !
be United States. 1t showed me more
learly than had ever seen before the !
eneral interest we all have in this
'riental trade" a
General Merritt, who was the first 8
american commander in the Philip
ines has gone to Lake Champlain, at
resident McKinley's request, pre- :,
lmably to talk about Philippine af-
lirs. This has revived the rumor n
nat General Merritt would return to t
le PHILIPPINES. but no confirmation p
an be obtained in official circles. c
The Washington committe that is :
money for the relief Of the =
orto Rico hurricane sufferers has re- a
sived checks for $3.50 each from D
resident Mckinley, Vice President tt
[obart. and Secretary Root. The lat o
,r has appointed q National Commit D
,e, to take charge Of the distribution Z
I contributions, to which all local . .
ommittees will report. Ex-Secretary :
lisa Ia chairman of this Gommiktaa