The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-02-24
Washington Letter.
From our regular correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21.-According to state
ment made by a member o. the Court of In
quiry, which this week begins the taxi Z
of testimony on the enbalmed beef charges,
the Court regards itself rs sitting as Il Court
Martial to Try General Miles on the char ca Of
lying, although without authority to pass SEN
| tence should it tind him guilty. No other con-
stru" tion can be plsced upon this language,
used Ly the member of the Court REFER ed to:
we look to Gen. Miles to prove his allegations.
We have no concern as TO the witnesses as to
that side OF the inquiry, and it is incumbent
upon Geu. Miles to secure and produce before
US those whom he expects to establish his case"
In other words, the Court believes Gen. Miles
guilty, but will give him chance 10 prove
otherwise. Gen. Niles will produce sixty odd
officers who reported from the field against the
| beef issued, Including Gov. TEDDY" of New
York, and tee proof will be IN de SO hot that it
! is likely to scorch Secretary Alger and other
officials us we'll us the beef contric ors.
There is some talk of II compromise on the
Army bill, which is now before the Senate, but
, it not coming from Democrats. sen tor Cock
rcll, who reported the Democratic b II to the
Senate, says that measure will give the adm IL
istration. temporarily, all the trO ps il Cain
possibly have any n Cd Cor, and that further
chan that he and his Democratic colleagues are
not inclined to go. 1t is believed hy many tha5
the scmI-repudiaton of Imperialism matte hy
MIR. Mckinley in his Ii. St0u speech was ill.,
tended to help the Hull Army bill in the Senate.
This may CT NAV not be true. Democrats in
Cor grcsS w1r1 glad of course, that Mr. Me
Kincy should have disc aimel Imperial intCn-
tiuns but, believing the saying that &C count
fUr more than words and having thcic wits
about them. they fail to see the point Of tie
disclaimer, white he insists upon having NJ his
command Il large standing army, and refuses
TO accept the Dem lcratic offer of a temporary
force large enough for his admitted Intentions
,rhe Hun bill provides large number of juicy
plums in the SHAPE o" commissions for cvi!iars
in the regular Army, and The attempt is being
made TO get Democratic and POpulist support
for the bill by Offering big chunks OF this
patronage to Senators. This week is likely to
determine whether the bill can be pissed or
not.
The scheme to make this government pay
private company a subsidy OF 100000 Il YEAR
for p years for the use Of Pacific cable, was
Thought 70 have been knocked out sometime
ago, but it is on deck again az Il amendment to
| the Sundry Civil bill, proposed by Senator
Frye. 1t cannot be knocked out iii the Senate
OH II point o. order as the Nicaragua anal bi!!
was in the House. nor can The same tactics be
followed in the House when the bill gees back
with Senate amendments. That is why the
Senators who are trying to get the Nicaragua
Canal bill through have had what is practically
the Hepburn bill eddcd to the River and Harbor
bill, as an amendment. They have not under
taken an easy job, it is understood that
Car Reed has declared his intention to prevent
Canal legislation, no matter what has to he
held UP TO do so. but the Senators are confident
of getting the best of the Car, who is said 10
| oppose the Canal only because he is unwilling
| that work should be begun upon il under the
Mckinley administration.
| There are few Democrats in Congress wi o
are opposed to our paying the. $50, 10000 to
| Spain which the Treaty of eaae calls for, us
\ most of them recognize it as treaty obligation
| which must be paid: After the ruling out on
| point of order of the NicaraG ua Canal bi |, as
an amendment to the Sundry Civil bill, it was
| only question of waiting for the same point
| to be raised against the amendment providing
for this appropriation, for it to receive the same
| treatment Two separate bills have already
been Introduced making this appropriation,
one by Mr.. Cannon and one by Mr.. Gillett. TIE
latter's bill also contains the McEnery resolu-
| ton, which the Senate adopted last week.
When a vote is taken on this resolution, there
will not be half a dozen Democrats recorded
against it, although the Democrats are all prac-
tcally opposed to the permanent retention of
the Philippines. The prompt payment of this
money is a question of national honor, not of
policy.
Senator Tillman got in good joke on Sena-
tor Lindsay, when he interrupted the latter's
| In favor al n bOIish the