The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-03-10
W w i Il National CAPITAL
Lively saulbs and Pointed Comments From "Our Man on the Ground "
= D0'nss Among Those in the Saddle" X Capital Civ Notes.

well, what business have we there
anyhow? The Cubans have offered
to enlist 10000 soldiers to protect
the island. They can do it better
than u unacclimared troops,
About the only thing we have done
so TAR is to permit some very doubt
full franchise grabs and pay the
Cuban army and feed the Cuban
poor; we might try the experiment
OF letting them do those things for
themselves.
On, by the way, we did put
through some kind Of a measure for
the government of Alaska, but no.
body knows what it a There
was an extra evening session-which
was attended by four senators-the
DILL was read at this session and
passed the next day. You can be
sure it is full of nice, plump wood
chucks, who are so glad they got
through without being skinned.
The republicans are patting them
selves on the back and trying to
tell us that we have a Nicaragua
canal bill. Not much. The Mic.
aragua canal measure was absolutely
defeated and the lobby is triumphant.
A paltry million dollars is appro-
priated for a survey to report when
it gets ready. Just watch the next
congress and e the Huntington in
terests waltz up and get the govern
ment to pledge it's credit to build
the canal for private profit. That
is what will be done and we might
as we'll understand it.
Think Of Mark Hanna's armor-
plated nerve when he told the SEN
ate we could not afford twelve nev
battle ships. No more we could if
he got the millions he wanted for
his subsidy bill. He got more of
them than he should. But the SEN
ate just did him the courtesy to
dismiss bribery charges preferred
against him by the Ohio senate and
no wonder he felt in a merry, merry
mood.
The senate did a good thing when
it ventilated the armor plate steal.
The trust wanted US to pay $3.50 a
ton. They sell it to European
nations for half that sum and make
a good profit. The senate simply
decided that unless W. could get it
for $500 a ton we would start a gov
eminent factory and make our own.
This would be very easy because
there is considerable hand work
about armor plate and not much ex-
pensive machinery aud no secrets,
except those of defraudiny the gov
ernment and making it pay for
something it did not get. That has
been done a number of times very
successfully.
There is a painfully loud whisper
going the rounds that the admins
tration managers and some other
republicans will force Secretary AL
ger TO resign. They realize that his
beef and other scandals threaten the
party with defeat in the next presi-
Dental campaign. OF course Presi-
dent Mckinley hates to turn out the
man who rescued him when in finan-
cial difficulty and Alger takes full
advantage of the painful situation
in which the president finds himself.
But party success is too big a thing
to be endangered by one man and
we may expect shortly to hear that
dedicate health or "business cares
have caused MI Alger to retire to
his native environment.
1t is said that the president is
going to spend a week or two with
Senator Hanna at his winter home
and recuperate. Probably the poor
man needs rest and nobody will
miss him. A certain sort of presi.
dent would have it on his conscience
that the Philippine question needed
an extra session OF congress and i'm
mediate attention, but not this one
We shall miss many we'll known
faces Of silver leaders from Wash
ington for the next two pears. Fol-
instance, at public gathering las
week yer three we'll known retir
, ing congressman, Jerry Simpson
James Hamilton Lewis and Cham,
, Clark. They are all coming bacl