The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-06-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. c., June 12th.

" IoN, ~ ~, - "ii' i~'''
Mr.. EDIToR:-Everybody is asking
everybody else why the administration is
trying so hard to keep the people in the
dark about what is going on in the Philip
pines, when only short time ago it was
its boast that it published all the official
dispatches received. 1t is known from
the press reports that have been allowed
to pass the Military Censor at Manila that
hard fighting is going on and the sus-
picion is growing that Gen. Otis is making
some use of the volunteers who should be
on their way home, if any Of the numer-
Gus promises made had been kept, that the
administration doesn't wish their friends
at home to know until whatever is being
attempted is all over. And it is admitted
by officials that there are differences be
tween Gen. Otis and Mr. Schurman, Presi-
dent of the Philippine Commission, but
claimed that the differences are unimpor
tant. The public doesn't care CONT
mental about the claims made by officials,
but it wishes to know and feels that it has
a right to know what is being done with
our volunteers; hence there is Il general
feeling of resentment against the suppress
sion of official dispatches.
One Of the principal reasons why Secre-
tarv Alger desires to retain the War port
folio, even when he knows that Mr.. Nc
Kinley would like to get rid of him, will
soon become apparent to close observers,
as it has been announced that a number
of franchises for various more or less val
liable concessions in Porto Rico are short
ly to be granted. 1t might naturally be
supposed that such franchises, if granted
at all before the establishment of the civil
government for the island, would be
granted by the Military Governor; but no
chances are to be taken by the men who
are after those franchises: they are to be
granted by Secretary Algcr, and it is dol
lars to ginger cakes that every one of them
that is at all desirable will be captured by
his friends and business associates.
In issuing a second elaborate defense Of
Mr.. Mckinley's Civil Service order Sccrc-
tary Gage rather overdid his task, without
changing anybody's opinion. Criticisms
of the order have made Mr.. Mckinley very
sore, and he has engaged in the eNplana-
ton business himself and even tried to get
funny" by telling how surprised Sena-
tors and Representatives have been WHO
have come after some of the places eX-
copied from the Civil Service Rules and
found that they were all filled, and that
no removals were contemplated. He also
gave out for publication a letter from the
Board of the Smithsonian Institution, ask
ing that the heads of all the bureaus of
that establishment be exempted from the
civil service rules. SO much explanation
is calculated to increase rather than dimin-
ish suspicion of that order. The full sig
reinstatement of any government employe,
regardless of how long they have been out
of the government service, is just begin
ming to be seen. Under it every emplove
land administrations can 3e reinstated, if
they have pull enough.
Southerners were pleased by the selec-
ton of ex-senator Pasco, of Florida, rs
one of the nine Commissioners named by
Mr.. Mckinley to make an investigation of
the Canal route across the 1sthmus. Rep
resentative Underwood, of Alabama, de-
clares that the people of his section regard
e.. h., hill
of the most important matters to come be-
fore the next Congress. The last Con-
gress appropriated 100000 for this
Commission. 1t was understood at the
time that this provision was the work of
the lobbyists employed by the Panama
Canal Company. Unless those who think
they know are badly mistaken TIE Panama
Company is not likely to profit by the
Commission, which is regarded as almost
sure to report in favor of the Nicaragua
route. How soon this Commission will
report is a matter of doubt, but its mem
bers have been requested to try to do so
before or during the next session Of Con-
gress.
A committee of distinguished Cubans
are in Washington to protest against the
order of the War Department suspending
all legal proceedings on debts contracted
before last December, in Cuba, and to en-
deavor to get the order revoked, or at
least modified. They say that the order
is paralyzing the business of the planters
by making it impossible for them to Dor
row money without paying extortionate
interest, but their chance for success is
not encouraging, as the order in question
was one of Ayers pet schemes.