Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1899-05-18
WASHINGTON FILTER.



Washington. May ID, 1899.
Secretary Alger, who has just return, d
to Washin 5ton, is lacking in many of the
characteristic that go 10 make an ld-al
secretary o! war, but he attempts 10
make up ior all OF them with gall, Of
which he has about as much as any nan
who ever he'd cabinet portfolio. And
his latest is little beyond all his rrevi-
Gus exploits in the gall line. lie has ac-
tually gone so far as to dictate to Mr..
Mckinley, il the public talk OF his hench-
men can be believed. According to the
Agerites, Alger is not satisfied with the
whitewashing given him by the War
Commission and the alleged vindicaiion
given him by the report Of the military
court OF inquiry, which Mr.. Mckine.;
has just approved and ordered published,
but demands that Gen. Miles be deposed
from the command Of TIE army. In add
dition to having demanded this of Mr..
Mckinley, Alger is said to have told
him that if he did not issue the order
Transferring Miles from commander Of
the army to one OF the military divisions,
he would, as secretary OF war, issue it
himself thus forcing presidential action
one way or the other 1t is not surprs-
ing that Mr.. Mckinley shou'd have con-
cluded to 90 to the Virginia Hot Spring.
and try to clear out his system by a few
hot baths. But it is Algelism he will
have 10 clear ont to accomplish any,
thing.
Boss Platt's cdict has gone forth that
New York shall have but one candidate
for the speakership, and that Payne,
Ray and possibly other 'nembers of the
delegation. who have either positively or
partially announced themselves as can.
didates, will be forced out of the way to
give Sherman the unanimous support
the delegation. This, and rumors that
Sherman had made deal with Hanna,
caused quite marked boom in Sherman
stock, and Sherman is now in favor in
sporting circles.
Treasury officials have refused to al.
low an item headed "traveling expens-
es" in the personal accounts Of Roger G..
Spooner, special Indian agent, "tempo.
rarily" in charge Of tie Indian ware
house in Chicago, because the aforesaid
travelling expenses were incurred by
Spooner in going between his home fin
Wisconsin and his office in Chicago, and
are not considered to have been neces.
sary to the proper performance Of his
public duties. Spooner is brother OF
Senator Spooner, and holds his position
by trick. The position OF superintend-
ent of the Indian warehouse is supposed
to be under civil rules; also to be vacant.
Nearly year ago Senator Spooner car
ried an oder to Secretary Bliss from MIR.
Mckinley, telling him to prov de a good
pla, e for his brother. 1t vas done by
appointing him special Indian agent and
putting him in temporary charge OF the
warehouse in Chicago, where he has
been ever since, filling a position that is
in the classified service, without ever
having even taken an examination.
Still, there are some otherwise level
headed men who will get "nutty" when
the civil service rules are spoken of as
the humbug they really are.
Mr.. Mckinley seems to be developing
dispo ition to play Gar. He ordered
Representative Henderson, OF Iowa,
chairman Of the republican caucus com.
mittee that recently completed finan.
cial bill, when he called at the White
House, with copy OF the bill, to change
it before it was submitted to the republic
cans OF the senate finance committee
who it seems must approve it before it is
made public. Col. Henderson is a pep.
perry sort of fellow occasionally, but
being candidate for speaker OF the
house, he did not care to quarrel with
Mr.. Mckinley, SO he only called his at
tention to the fact that every clause in
the bill had been put there by unanimous
vote OF the committee. The order TO
change it was reiterated by Mckinley.
It has been decided by the republican
leaders that an extra session Of congr ess
shall be called, probably early in the