Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-07-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.
from our Regular Correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, July Gath, 1899.

Alger as Secretary of War, Presi-
dent Mckinley has added another
to the long list of appointments he
has made that even his opponents
cannot criticise. Mr.. Roots repu-
tation as lawyer stands second to
that Of no man in the country and
itwas for that reason he was chosen.
President Mckinley wanted the
best lawyer he could find at the
head Of the War Department., to
handle the legal questions that are
constantly arising in connection
with the military government of
our new possessions, and
which are liable to be still more
complicated in the near future.
He will get him in Mr.. Root No
change in the Philippine policy is
foreshadowed by the change in the
head Of the War Department. The
organization of the volunteer regi-
ments is being pushed with great
rapidity already more than four
thousand men have enlisted-and
the ten regiments are expected to
be completed by the middle Of
August, and on their way to Manila
very soon after that date, as pres
ent plans are to have them all over
there by the close of the rainy
season, so that campaign agres-
sive enough to crush out the re-
volt before the next rainy season
rolls around can be waged.
For the benefit of Mrs. McKin-
ley's health which continues to be
poor, the President will this week
take her to Lake Champlain, near
Plattsburg, N. Y. How long they
will remain there will depend upon
the amount of benefit Mrs. Nc
Kinley may derive. There will be
no delay to any public business of
importance, by this vacation, as
the President will be connected
with the White House by long dis
tance telephone, and will be able
to give the same attention to inn
portant business that he does while
in Washington, and all matters re-
quiring immediate attention will
be disposed of before his departure.
The war with Spain abrogated
all treaties with the L. S., and the
treaty of Peace which ended the
war, does not deal with CONNER
cial matters. Consequently, u. S.
trade with Spain is now more or
less handicapped. For instance,
Consul Sprague, at Gibralter, has
just called the attention of the
Department of State TO the exis-
tance of a differential duty Of two
pesetas--a fraction more than
thirty-eight cents-betwcen United
States and British flour entering
Spain, in favor of the British flour.
The Consul said: "The matter is
Of some Importance, as at present
American flour can undersell other
foreign importations in this line. -
When a new commercial treaty is
negotiated with Spain. as one
doubtless will be in the near future,
such drawbacks to trade will be
done away WITH as President Nc
Kinley will insist that the t. S. be
given every commercial advantage
possessed by the ''most favored
nation.
"Corporal' Tanner, who has
been personally intimate with Sec
retary Alger for twenty years, said,
while discussing Gen. Alger's
record and his resignation, which
takes effect next week: "What-
ever measure of failure could be
charged to him as Secretary of
War-and, in my opinion, it is
not by one thousand degrees as
great as many seem to thinks
justly more chargeable to the sys-
tenn in vogue at the War Depart
ment, that of bureaucracy and
divided responsibility, than to
Alger. The historian who sums
up Alger $ career dispassionately,
with full knowledge OF events,
must put him down as a really
great man. He will be known as
a man who fell a victim to the in
famous assaults Of sensationalism.
In all the great crisises in the his
tory Of this government, there has
been developed wolfish side in
the nature Of the American people.
This quality, when things do not
go to suit the crowd, makes them
demand a human sacrifice. They
want to rend and tear. | speak
with full knowlege and memory of
the days when a portion of the
press lampooned Abraham Lincoln
as baboon and clown, and de-
rided Gen. Grant as q drunkard
and butcher"
Mr.. E. N. Higgins, of Colum-
I,,r. nI,o l. ., =, =. -.