The Opelousas courier., 1899-09-16
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. D. c., Sept. II,

| u. ", CcpI. Il 1000
END the war in the Philippines
speedily, or the result will be disastrous
to You and the Republican party
| That is the sum and substance OF what
| is being daily dinned into the ears OF
Mr.. Mckinley. not by his opponents,
| but by leading republicans, who know
how unpOpula, that war is becoming all
over the country. Mr.. Mckinley is
| gradually becoming convinced that the
reaction in public sentiment concerning
| his Philippine policy. predicted more
| than a year ago by Col. Bryan, is at
hand, and once fully convinced. there
is no telling what he may do, for this
| country has never had a President who
| feared the public sentiment of the
| country as much as Mr.. Kckinley does,
or who tried so hard to make his official
| acts meet its approval, regardless OF
his opinion.
Tho most striking thing with the
| hearing on trusts, by the Industrial Com
| mission, was a daring and somewhat
scandalous attack upon Vice-Chairman
| Philips of the Commission, who is con-
pected with an independent oil COM
pany in Pennsylvania, by officials of the
| Standard Oil Trust. Mr.. Philips denied
| the charge that he had been mixed up
in an offer to dicker with the Stand
| ard Oil Trust, but the charge left a bad
| taste in everybody's mouth, and is not
| calculated to add anything to the pres
| tipe of the Commission, which isn't any
| too great at best.
Senator Stewart is a fine specimen of
| stalwart radicalism in all hia views.
| He never trims ON any question, and
| conservatism is unknown to his mind.
| He has got it in for France for several
reasons, the latest of which is the second
conviction of Dreyfus, and says that
country really has no government at
| all, and that we should break off diplo-
matte relations until France gets a gov
eminent. The Senator threntens to Of
fer a joint resolution to that effect
when Congress meets !; also a bill re-
pealing eli official recognition Of the
Exposition of Paris next year.
The administration appears to DO still
determined to leave Gen. Otis in su
premec command in the Philippines, al
though Secretary Root is Understood to
have recommended II change, and to ia
vor sending General Miles over there.
There 10 politics in this determination,
| and it isn't the sort Of politics that re-
fleets any credit upon Mr.. Mckinley.
| The Hanna crowd are afraid of Miles
now, and il he should 60 to the Philip
| pines and do what Otis had so signally
failed to do. they would fear him still
more. They know that Otis is not
likely, under any circumstance. to de
veloD popularity enough to make him q
| political rival of Mr.. Mckinley. That
is why they wish to keep Otis in COM
mand, Notwithstanding the overwhelm-
ing evidences from all sources, OF his
| unfitneaa, not to call it by n lasl,er
ko,n, Tbn arnrt nf tItn nnn hartman
| Associated Press, in a long letter from
| Manila, just published, after going into
| details, showing the failure of Otis,
| sums up by saying "The secret of the
| Whole trouble here is that the govern
| ment has left a small man to deal with
u most delicate problem, requiring
broad craftsmanship. Everyone agrees
that Otis is honest. and that counts for
much in a position affnriing such
| chances for dishonesty, bnt everyone
agrees also with the most remarkable
nnanimity, that lie has tnngled affairs
from the beginning.'
1t is evident to gwen the mast casual
observer of those poIitical currents
which are to b efound by those whoknow
how, Just below the surface of party
waters, that the republican leaders
are carefully paving the way tn drop
Mr.. Hobart if they shall consider it tx-
pedient to do SD. The state of Mr. Ho-
barts health is made the basis of all
these preparatory stories. Ii it doesn't
improve, "his family vii! have to veto
the idea of his remaining in politics.
etc. This is all tnmmyrot. Mr.. Hobart
has shown upon several occasions. dur
ing the last three months, notably 10y
his getting Algtr to resign, that his
health il good enough to do what other
men, not on the sick list, failed to do.
| His "health" is likely to remain in Il
precarious condition until Boss Hanna
has fully made up bis mind whether it
will be best to have him run again with
Mr.. Mckinley, and he isn't likely to
fully decide until the National Conven-
ton meets. Then Mr.. Hobart's health
| will take a good or bad turn, in accord
ance with Hanna'sldecision.
After webbing around the question
for about two weeks, the War De-
partment, under political pressure, is
sued the order for the enlistment of two
negro regiments for the Philippines.
They will bring the volunteer army up
to the limit set by Congress which it
has been clear from the first that the
administration intended to do.
Col. w. j. Bryan was unanimously
elected a member of the Council of Ad-
ministration, Of the Spanish War Vete-
| rams Association, which has Just closed
it's first encampment. Ex-Gov. Oates,
of Ala, was also elected a member Of
the Council, as was Fl. H. Blunt, a Lou
isiana negro, who was IA Lieut., in the
| 9th Immnnes. Gen. j. w. keifer, of
Ohio, wat elected Communicating Chief
of the New organization, which hopes
ultimately to embrace all the State Or
CARNATIONS OF the Spanish War Vete-
| rams which have been formed.