The Elbert County tribune., 1899-02-23

any liked policy or bind itseit TOT tue
future without obtaining fuller ana
more accurate knowledge OF the situ-
alton, the conditions and the wishes
Of the Inhabitants of the Philippines.
He holds that they should he consulted
before we determine their destiny. and
rnnt under present conditions they are
not competent to decide for them
selves.
While the House was considering the
sundry civil bill Thursday the para
graph carrying the appropriation OF
S2O.OOO.OOO for payment TO Spain un-
der the terms of the peace treaty was
stricken out upon II point OF order
made by Mr.. Wheeler. n Kentucky
Democrat. who declared that he OPP
posed the appropriation on principle
and would resort 10 any fechnicallty
10 defeat IT, strong intimation was
given by Mr.. Cannon that way
would be found within the rules TO
make the appropriation before the adj
journment OF Congress. He referred,
undoubtedly. 10 the probability that
the appropriation would he placed In
the hill by the SENATE.
The Court OF Inquiry TO investigate
the allegations of the major general OF
the army in respect to the quality of
the beef furnished the army during the
war with Spain. met on the 18th Mt
the rooms formerly occupied by the
War Investigation Committee In the
Lemon building. \ full mem
bership was presnet and the
discuss the preliminarics OF the pro-
cceding and to endeavor to sketch out
the line of inquiry to he pursued.
The court has practically determined
to visit the packing houses in Western
cities from which beef was furnished.
The pilgrimage will take in Chicago.
South Omaha. Kansas City and per-
haps st. Louis.
The unanimous consent agreement
reached by the Senate last Satur-
day to vote Tuesday afternoon ON the
resolution of Mr.. McEncry of Louisi-
ana. declaring the policy Of this gov
ernment in the Philippines, was not
vacated. In accordance with that
agreement the vote was taken on
the resolution mt 2:30. and II was
adopted, 2G TO %. II was noticeable
that several Democrats who were
present and not paired refrnined from
voting. An amendment offered by Mr..
Bacon of Georgia several days ago
was defeated. The vote on the amend
llltill WIS ~ " Nitt
President Hobart cast the deciding
Ing was preceded by three hours and
a half of debate.
The President has conveyed assur-
ances TO some of the party leaders in
Congress- in addition to those given last
week, that he will certainly call Con-
gress together in extra session II 1t fails
to pass the army reorganization bill at
the present session. In answer to In
quries, the administration has been
obliged TO decline all propositions look
Ing to the tiding over OF the needs OF
the army by passing joint resolution,
simply extending the appropriations on
the basis of the present organization,
holding that this device would be ut
terly inadequate to meet the absolute
necessities OF the case. The status OF
the volunteers would, 1t is said. be
extremely unsatisfactory, and there
would be absolutely no assurance that
the President could retain them in SER
vice even when the emergency is great.
The same statement would apply to the
regular army soldiers who enlisted for
the war.
The Senate. by the passage OF n reso-
luton of inquiry. has forced from the
Navy Department a statement of SEN
sational interest seriously affecting the
professional conduct of Admiral
Schley. The secretary of the navy pro-
tested against furnishing the informa-
tion to the public but Admiral Schley's
friends In the Senate insisted upon
having the reasons why Admiral
Sampson had been honored more than
he, and several newspaper publications
which have been considered preposter-
Gus are more than confirmed. Secre-
tary Long declares that Admiral
Schley disobeyed orders. that his con-
duct was ''rcprehensible," and that by
his "unsteadlness of purpose" and
lack of push" and his failure to obey
orders" he forfeited the confidence OF
the President and the Navy Depart
ment. The most serious charge is that
he left the cruiser st. Paul, under Cap
tain Sigsbee. alone to face Cervera's
fleet and started for Key West osten-
sibly for coal. when he had suffi-
cient supply in his bunkers This has
been told before. but few people be-
licved il.
Washington is still snowbound and
will continue to be for several days
Street cars are running infrequently
on one line, but the others have not at
tempted to resume traffic. All availa-
BILE men and wagons are at work
cleaning snow from the sidewalks and
public buildings. which are surrounded
by white walls higher than the heads
of the men. Newspaper carriers are
going about on horseback. Very few
officials and clerks We're able to get to
the departments to-day. owing to the
difficulty of locomotion and the lack
of vehicles. and many of the stores
and shops were not open at all. The
railroads have started out few trains
and n few have arrived. but for nearly
twenty-four hours there was no COM
munication whatever with the outside
world Provisions and fuel are scarce,
and dealers who have supplies are tax
ing advantage of the famine by charg-
ing double prices. 1t will be several
days before the coal supply can be re-
newed. and there seems to be n scare
ity of provisions everywhere In this
part of the country.
Whether or not negotiations looking
to the settlement of the dozen or more
issues between the United States and
Canada by means OF the Joint commits
sion now In session ultimately will fail
entirely can scarcely he foretold here
Mt this moment. Regardless of the out
come, II can he stated on authority that
the American commissioners have not.
as represented. refused the concessions
asked by the Canadians. On the con
trary. the American commissioners
have listened with the greatest pa
tience for the last six months to every
argument that the Canadians cared to
present In support of the important con-
cessions they desired, and, so far from
refusing these. the Americans have
granted some OF the most Important
concessions that. 1t is admitted, are so
broad ms to make 1t difficult for the
American commissioners to assure
themselves of the support of their gov
ernmeni and Congress In allowing