Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-08-14
OUR CAPITAL LETTER.
GENERAL OTIS WILL CONTINUE TO
COMMAND IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Notwithstanding His Inability to Crush
the Natives, the Pet of the Adninistra-
tion Is Not to BE Either Recalled or
Humiiiated-High Living in Cuba.


Humiliated-IIigh Living in Cuba.
Washington, d. c., August IL, 1899.
There is to be more whipping around
the stump. That is the sum and sub
stance of the semi-oflicial leaking as to
the intention of the administration in
the Philippines. General Otis is not to
be either recalled or humiliated, Oh
no! not for worlds. the administration
has such absolute confidence in him,
that it intends to let him sit in his office,
at Manila, and worry over the ten-cent
details of the government of such por
tions of the Philippines as recognize our
authority. But another man is to be
put in command of the army which is
to do the fighting. That would be so
thoroughly characteristic of the Nc
Kinley administration that it is gener-
ally accepted to be true of present in
tentions.
OF course, those intentions, like many
others have been, may be changed
before being carried out. Statements
differ as to the man who is to command
the fighting branch of the Philippine
army, some saying that it will be Law
ton and others that it will be Miles
General Miles has indicated to Secretary
Root his willingness to take command
of the Philippines campaign, but there
are several reasons why he is not likely
to 60 The first and most important of
which is the evident intention of the
administration to leave the supreme
command nominaly in the hands of
General Otis. General Miles could not
serve under a subordinate officer.
The new secretary of was has been
asked to pass upon question of law,
but he has not said that he will do so,
Notwithstanding all the talk about that
being what he was taken into the cabi-
net to do. The question involved is
whether the secretary of war has right
to authorize officers who are his favoriteS,
to draw specified sums, in addition to
their salary and regular allowances, to
be used to maintain the dignity Of their
positions" During Alger's recent visit
to Cuba, he authorized General Brooke
to draw 81, 800 a year addition to his pay
as major general; General Ludlow, who
made II break last week by suppressng
Cuban newspaper, $1,000 a year; in
addition to his pay as Il brigadier gene
raj; Colonel Bliss, collector at Havana,
$3, 900 in addition to his salary as colonel,
and Major Davis, sanitary officer at
Havana, 81, 800, in addition to his salary
as major.
Algcr directed that these allowances
be made from the Cuban revenues
Only favorites of AIgcr were authorized
to draw this extra money, no such
authority being given to General Fitz
Lee, General Leonard Wood, and other
officers who would seem to have quite
as much dignity to maintain as the Off
GERS on duty at Havana. 1t has been
pointed out to Secretary Root that Sec
tion 1869, of the Revised Statues, which
fixes the pay of army officers, contains
this positive language: mo allowances
shall be made to officers in addition to
their pay except as hereinafter pro-
vided." The provisions referred to are
for the care of officers horses, the pay
ment for quarters, aud for travel pay,
but there is nowhere word about
any allowance to maintain dignity"
1t is very clear that Alger exceeded his
legal authority in making these allow
ances, but whether Secretary Root will
say so is a horse of quite another color.
i t /
Against the advice Of experts Secre-
tary Alger gave a contract last year for
twenty-five Brown scgmental wire
wound guns. They are now ready for
delivery, but will not be accepted be-
cause when tested, one of them blew
out the brecch and fractured its jacket,
under less than the required pressure.
If they had been ready for delivery
before Alger went out, they would have
probably been accepted and paid for.