The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-08-11
FROM THE CAPITAL.
Our Correspondent Talks in
General About Wash
ington.
(COnmunicated J

the sum and substance of the
Semi-Otficial leaking as to the ill.,
tention of the administration i'll
the Philippines. General Otis
is not to be either recalled or hu-
inflated. Oh, no! not for the
world! the administration has
such absolute confidence in him,
that it intends to let him sit in
his office, at Manila, and worry
over the ten cent details of the
government of such portions of
the Philippines as recognize our
authority. But another man is
to be put in command Ofthe army
which is to do the fighting. That
would be so thoroughly charac-
teristic of the Mckinley admins
tratiOn that it is generally accept
ed to be true of the present in
tentions. OF course, those inten-
tiOns, like many others have been,
may be changed before being car
ried out. Statements differ as to
the man who is to command the
fighting branch of the Philippine
army, some saying that it will he
LawtOn and others that it will be
Miles. General Miles has indi-
Gated to Secretary Root his will.
ingness to take command of the
Philippine campaign, but there
are several reasons why he is not
likely to go. The first and most
important of which is the evident
intention of the administration
to leave the supreme command
nOminally in the hands of Gen.
eral Otis. General Miles could
not serve under a subordinate
officer.
The new Secretary of War has
been asked to pass upon a Ques-
tion of law, but he has not said
that lie will do so, notwithstand-
ing all the talk about that be-
ing what he was taken into the
cabinet to do. The question in
volved is whether the Secretary
of War has right to authorize
officers who are his favOrites, to
draw specified sums, in addition
to their salary and regular allow
ances, to be used to maintain the
dignity of their positions. Dur
ing Alger's recent visit to Cuba.
he authorized Gen. Brooke to
draw 81, 500 year in addition to
his pay as Major General; General
Ludlow, who made a break last
week by suppressing a Cuban
newspaper, $4,000 a year in ad.
dition to his pay as a Brigadier.
General; Collector Bliss, collector
at Havana, So, 900 in addition to
his salary as Colonel, and Major
Davis, Sanitary Officer, at Ha-
vana, $500 in addition to his
salary as Major. Alger directed
that these allowances be made
from the Cuban revenues. Only
favorites of Alger were authoriz.
ed to draw this extra money. no
such authority being given to
General Fitz Lee, Gen. Leonard
Wood, and other officers who
would seem to have as much dig
nifty to maintain as the officers on
duty at Havana. 1t has been
pointed out to Secretary Root
that Section 1869 of the Revised
Statutes which fixes the pay of
army officers, contains this posi-
tive language: "NO allowances
shall be made to officers in addi.
ton to their pay except as herein
after provided" The provisions
referred to are for the care of Of
ficer's horses, the payment for
quarters, and for travel pay, but
there is nowhere a word about
any allowance to s'maintain dig.
nity". tits very clear that AIger
exceeded his legal authority in
making these allowances, but
whether Secretary Root will say
so is a horse of quite another
color.
Democrats hereabOuts have
paid very little attention to the
attempt of a few anti Bryan
Democrats in New Jersey, to
start a boom for Hon. Grover
Cleveland as the Democratic can.
didate next year, simply because
they know that it is not worth
any attention. Even if Colonel
Bryan, the man whom ninety per
cent of the Democratic party
wishes to see nominated again,
were to die before the nominating
convention met, Mr.. Cleveland's
name would not be seriously con.
sidered. He has received all the
honors he will ever get from the
National Democracy, with which
he was never really in sympathy
upon more than two or three of
its principles, and even those he
has way of interpreting to suit
himself. MIR. Cleveland is an