The Press., 1899-08-24
Washington Letter.
washington, Aug. 81, 1S9'

washington, Aug. 81, 1s99
The fact that General Merritt, who was
the first governor-general of the Philip
pines, is now holding a conference with
the president at Lake Champlain, at the
latter's request, has increased the num-
Der of those who believe that the army of
SO, 900 men, which the administration Is
preparing to have at Manila inside of
ninety days, will have a new commander.
Opinion differs as to whether General
Merritt was sent for to be offered this
command himself, or to advise the presi-
dent as to who would be the best man to
give 1t to. Although not one word der
rogatory to General Otis has been heard
In official circles, the opinion that he will
be supplanted before the beginning of the
projected active campaign against the
Filipinos, which is to be started as soon
as the rainy season will permit probably
November-iss steadily increasing in w ash
ington. The recruiting of ten additional
regiments, which will bring the volunteer
force nearly up to the $4,000 limit set by
congress, indicates determination on
the part of the administration to push
things much more vigorously in the next
campaign against the Filipinos than has
yet been done, and the determination Is
commended by expanslonists and anti
expansionists alike, as everybody is anx-
ious to have the fighting ended over there,
regardless of what is afterwards cone
with the islands.
Secretary Wilson, who has just returned
from trip to the Pacific coast, reports
the people of the west as practically
unanimous in favor of the retention oi
the Philippines by the U. S., as neces.
sary adjunct to our already large and in
creasing trade with China and Japan
He says the people of the west understand
this question much better than do those
of the east.
Germany isn't satisfied with fighting
the importation of American beef openly
but insists in fighting it in all sorts Of
ways. One of these ways is explained ir
a report, just received at the department
of state, from our consul general to Ber
lin. 1t relates to a recent decree of the
German government, prohibiting the i'm
portation of fresh beef from Belgium into
Germany. OF this decree the consul gen
eral wrote: GAS Belgium has no surplus
home grown beef supply to export any
where, it was at once evident that the de
cree was in reality aimed at American
beef and was occasioned by the fact tha
the Belgian government, which has fol
several years past prohibited the importa
tion of live cattle from the U. s., has re-
Gently rescinded that restriction, leaving
the butchers of that country free to i'm
port at certain designated ports American
cattle for immediate slaughter, and, un
less prevented by new regulations, to ex
port the meat thus obtained across tn,
frontier into Germany" So far as Bel
gium is concerned this decree will not In
jure American interests, because it pro
hibits traffic that does not exist. TIL,
consul general says further: "Where the
decree will do American interests mos
injury Is in Denmark, which country II
ready to follow Belgium's lead in Ameri
can cattle, but hesitates to do so for feal
that Germany will, In such event, prompt
ly shut out fresh meat imports from Den
mark, and thereby destroy trade which
is Of real Importance to Scandinavia, tn,
German imports of beef and veal from
Denmark and Sweden having reached I
total Of 19, ,556,41 pounds In 1898. Th'
German decree has therefore the direc
effect of excluding American cattle from
Denmark, which country, there Is goot
reason to believe, would otherwise admi
years and Belgium has now consented t.
do"
Major John r. Hoff, chief surgeon O
the military department of Porto Rico
isn't one Of the military opponents of wo
men nurses for the army. On the con
trary, he thinks so we'll of them that, Il
an official report to Surgeon Genera
Sternberg, highly commencing the SCI
vices of Miss Chandler and Miss Boulig
ny, who are nurses under him, he wrote
"God bless theml"
Surgeons of the U. S. marine hospits
service, who have been Investigating tn
yellow fever since last November, stat
, their belief, in an official report to SUI
geon General Wyman, that ProfessU
| Sanarelli, the Italian scientist, has dis
covered the true germ of yellow fever
and that while the Sanarelli serum, a
now used, Is not strong enough to be re
lied upon as cure for the disease, it
probable that a serum can be prepare
which can be relied upon to cure 1t. Met
, ical men regard this report as very in
| portant.