The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-02-02
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


martial for several days yet, as it is
customary for the Secretary of War
to refer the finding of the court mar
tial to the Judge Advocate General
for a legal review before forwarding
it to the President There is no
doubt that the finding was guilty on
both counts. This finding may be
approved, set aside, or mitigated in
the judgment of the President, and
the general impression is that it will
be mitigated. While the opinion
that Eagan deserves punishment is
general, there are few who think, in
view of his long and honorable ser
vice, that it should be as severe as
dismissal from the army.
There has been a decided change
in the attitude of the antics since
the Senate agreed to vote on the
treaty Feb. 9Th. Instead of talking
of expecting to reject the treaty of
peace, as they were doing week
ago, they are now begging the sup
porters of the treaty to let them
down easy, by having the Senate
adopt meaningless resolution de-
claring that the treaty does not bind
the U. S. to permanent retention of
the Philippines, something that every
body already knows. There would
be just as much sense in adopting a
resolution declaring that the treaty
did not bind us to lick Spain again.
The treaty will be ratified. That is
now considered to be an absolute
certainty.
There is not the slightest founda-
tion for the sensational reports sent
from Washington about the admin
istration being worried over the an
tics of Agoncillo, the agent Of Aguin-
aldo, in Washington, who has been
doing some fool talking, in the news
papers and elsewhere. Secretary Hay
is the authority for the statement
that Agoncillos name had never been
called at Cabinet meeting, and that
President Mckinley has never even
had his attention called to the pres
ence of the little Filipino in Wash
ington, except by the newspapers
Representative Cousins, of Iowa,
in a speech in favor Of the Hull army
bill, which will be voted upon and
passed, tomorrow, by the House, paid
his respects to those who have ex-
pressed so much fear of the necessary
increase in the regular army. He
said: II have not lived long enough
to learn of anything in the history of
the exploits of American soldery or
of their service, to justify that sus-
piciOn which is cast upon the institu-
ton known as the regular army of
the United States, by the imputation
that it could ever be used as q menace
to the liberties of American citizen
ship. Does the history of valor and
glory in the Revolution prompt the
gentlemen of the minority and of the
opposition to warn America against
American soldiery! Does the record
of the regulars, led by Gen. jackson,
at New Orleans, fill the hearts of the
gentlemen with fear of apprehension
for the safety of our citizens? Does
the Chepultepec send warming into
modern Washington? Did there ever
issue from the lips, now closed in
everlasting love and fame in that 81
lent mausoleum by the Hudson, any
word of menace to a future citizen,
any thought save peace, any oracle
save liberty and union? God spare a
grateful country and an admiring
world from any doubt about the
matchless magnanimity of Appomat-
tox. In all the years of toll and strife
and victory that make the history of
our republic great, the regular army
has been its shield and buckler.n
No speech made on the Philippine
question has contained more common
sense or a palmer statement of the
actual situation than that made by
Senator Platt, of New York, the first
he has made during his present term
in the Senate. His arraignment of
the Senators who are largely respon-
sible for Aguinaldo's bumptious posi-
ton follows: There are reasons why
the natives of those islands. after their
experience with the Spanish misrule,
should misunderstood the presence at
Manila of an American army, but
there is no reason why an American
Senator should misunderstood it, and
no Justification of his course in mis-
representing it. He knows that there
is no American in all this broad land
who wishes any other fate to any sin
gle native of the Philippine islands
than his free enjoyment of a prosper
Gus life. He knows thai" close in the
wake of American rule, there would
come to the Filipinos liberty that
they have never known, and a far
greater liberty then they could ever
have under the arrogant rule of