The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1899-12-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON Dec oStf1


Washington, Dec. 25tii, 1899.
Christmas was a quiet day at the
White House. owing to the absence of
children. The President and Mrs. Me
kinley had Mr.. and Mrs. Abner Nc
kinley and two of their neices for
guests and few personal friends were
present at a family dinner party. One
OF the things that added to the Presi-
dents Christmas enjoyment was ca
blegram from Gen. Otis announcing
that the ports of Luzon would be open
ed to commerce on the LIST of January.
Nothing could have more forcIblv told
the improved conditions in the Phil
ippines than this official announcement
of Gen. Otis. 1t means that the rebels
are no longer strong enough to inter
tere with commerce, and that the peac-
ably inclined residents of the islands
have resumed their ordinary avoca-
tions- Army officers are much pleased
with the prompt response to the APP
peal for funds for the widow and chill
dren of the late Gen. Lawton. More
than 81 900 has already been received
for the fund. II is also pleasing to Of
ticers that Mrs. Lawton has chosen Ar
lington as the final resting place of the
remains of Gen. Lawton. While this
sort of thing is gratifying to every pa
triotlc American, it means mere to
army officers, who devote their time
and wiillngl Y give their lives to the SER
vice of the country, than to others--it
Is an assurance to them that the coun-
try appreciates their bravery and de-
So,i0n.
President Mckinley has positively
promised Senator Perkins that he will,
unless prevented by official duties, ac-
company the California delegation in
Congress, 10 San Francisco to witness
the launching of the battleship Ohio,
which is being built in that city and
will be ready for launching in Septem-
Der or October next.
DR.. /. l.. Patterson, of Lexington.
Ky, Who is visiting Washington. saws
he is a democrat, but not the Goehel
kind and that the party will never get
back It's control of that state with such
leaders as Goebel. He doesn't think
the Goebel contest before the Iegisla-
ture, Will amount to much. He said of
1t, ut is the last expiring bluff Of de-
feated candidate. verify believe that
a fair count would have shown that
Taylor beat Goebel by 1900 votes The
lie lslature, though containing a demo
cratic majority, is co.nizant of this and
VIII not outrage public sentiment by
giving the seat to a man who, with all
the cheating practiced by his partisans,
failed to get a plurality Of the votes
The Navy Department intends to es-
perimenting with wireless telegraphy,
without regard to the system of Mar
conf, who charged $4,000 down and
$40, 900 a year for the use OF twenty sets
OF his instruments for sending and re-
celying messages. Naval officers CON
slider his charges out of all proportion
with the value of such portions of his
apparatus as were covered by patent,
and that 1t would be better as well as
more economical for the government
TO 90 ahead on its own hook. This is on
all tours with common sense, as Mar
coni's system is far from perfect at this
time.
New York is fortunate in having two
men, either of whom would be perfect
ly acceptable to the republican leaders
as the nominee for Vice President on
the ticket with President Mckinley
Those two men are Secretary Root and
eXSecretarv Bliss. both of whom have
proved their ability as members of
President Mckinley's Cabinet. Secre-
tary Root had the advantage of being
first mentioned for the place at the re-
cent meeting of the Republican Nation
al Committee, but since Mr.. Bliss has
been mentioned, the opinion is prac-
ticallv unanimous among prominent re-
publicans in Washington, including
Senator Hanna, who had previously
expressed a preference for Secretary
Root, that either of them, presented to
the Philadelphia Convention by the
New York delegation could be nomin-
atel by acciamation as President Me-
kinley will be. 1t is the settled pur-
pose of the republican leaders to have
the Vice President nominated by ac-
clamatiOn, and the New York delcga-
ton has only to act as unit to secure
the nomination of either of the gentle
men named.
\ subcommittee remained in Wash
ingtOn TO take the testimony of addi-
tional witnesses, summoned from Utah
in the Roberts case, but so far, the ex-
pected witnesses have not reported
The polvgamv OF Roberts is regarded as
having been fully proven by witnesses
already heard, aud the expectation is
that the Committee will make lis re-
port to the house within a week Of the
re-assembiing of Congress and that it
will be against Roberts.
The populists are preparing to head
off the democratic movement, led by
Ex-senator German, to prevent the
nomination of Mr. Bryan, by holding
National convention ahead of the dem
ocratic convention, and nominating Mr..
BRYAN. The so-called silver republi-
cans are cooperating with the populists
in this move.