Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1899-03-02

bill, but the more the new bill is exam.
med, the less substantial that CLAIM ap.
pears. 1t looks more like bunco than
victory. The administration Senators
have secured from the minority about
everything that the Hull bill would
have given them and have escaped an
extra session of Congress, which every
body knows the administration dread
ed. True, the new Army bill only pro-
vides for the increase of men Tor two
years from next July, but that amounts
to nothing when it is remembered that
majority of both Houses of the next
Congress will give the administration
any additional army Legislation it may
ask for.
A speech made by Senator Sewell,
who is always an administration man
when it comes to voting. has attracted
considerable attention. He expressed
regret that Dewey should have re-
manned at Manila after his great VIC
tory, and that we should have under
taken to control the Philippines, which
he said, contain a population of ten
million persons who are almost uncon-
trollable. He said that we must now
make the best of the situation, and that
if he was President he would send
enough troops to make short work OF
the Filipinos, even to the extent Of wip.
ing them out entirely, if they could 10
paci6ed IN no other way. He predict
ed that this government would find it
impossible to satisfy the Cubans, and
that it was only question of time when
we would have war with them. And
he intimated that the Cuban Junta was
as likely to have been responsible for
the blowing up of the Maine as Spain
was. The speech would have caused a
sensation uttered by any Senator, but
the effect was heightened by Senator
Sewells close relation with the admin
istration.
The Senate passed the River and Har.
Dor bill, with the Nicaragua Canal
amendment, with only three dissenting
votes, Pettigrew, Rawlins and Teller,
and friends of the canal in the House
say that they have strength enough to
prevent the amendment being voted out
of the bill, and parliamentary skill
enough to prevent Its being jugg led out
Representatives Johnson, of Ind. made
another highly sensational speech. at
lacking not only the policy of the Pres,
ident. but his personal integrity, but it
did nof receive as much attention as the
first speech he made along similar lines
the general impression being that Mr..
johnson is trying to get even with the
President he helped elect, for some
real or fancied personal grievance.
Secretary Ayers position is any
thing but pleasant one at this time. II
is we'll known that some of the Presi-
dents friends wish to get Alger out Of
the Cabinet, and that haying failed up
to this time to get the President to ask
for his resignation, they have tried to
bring about his resignation by other
methods, one of which is believed to be
responsible tor the constantly repeated
stories that the resignation was about
to be forthcoming. Secretary Alger
has served notice upon these men, and
incidentally upon the President, that be
will not willingly resign, by stating that
so far as his own will is concerned, he
intends remaining in the Cabinet until
the end Of the administration.
The failure of Chairman Boutelle, of
the House Naval Committee, to salts
factorily explain why the bill reported,
appropriated $545 ton to pay for
Krupp armor for the battleships Maine,
Missouri and Ohio, and to tell what
foreign governments were paying for
the same armor, resulted in the House
reducing the amount to $445 ton. In
order to get the amount restored, the
Navy Department has placed the in
formation before the Senate that might
have prevented the reduction being
made by the House, Russia is paying
1915 ton for the Krupp armor that
is being used on the two warships the
Cramps are building, and Great Britain
is paying 1868 ton for the same armor.
The two American companies which
make armor offered to furnish the
Krupp armor for the three battleships
for $545 ton; hence the placing of
that amount in the bill.