The evening times., 1899-04-11
GENERAL WASHINGTON
NEWS AND GOSSIP.

The Carter Case Again.-There is an
astonishing rumor that the President 10
about to take some action in the case OF
Capt. o. N. Carter, the engineer ohicer
who was convicted by court-martial over
which Major Gen. E. s. Otis. who has been
signally distinguishing himself in the Phil
ippines, presided, and sentenced to be dis
missed the service. pay a fine Of 5000. and
to undergo imprisonment for term OF
years as felon. This report may account
for the presence In Washington at this par
ticular juncture Of a number Of contractors
and others who have either personal or
financial interest In the fate OF Captain
Carter. Carter was convicted Of embez-
cling over $1.6o0,000 In two years. The
amount Of his shortage" was probably
much greater, as he pleaded the statute of
limitation on four years of his work. Cap
tain Carter has been willing. 1t is under
stood. to compromise the matter by paying
his fine provided he can escape imprison-
ment and retain his position in the army.
The bondsmen are naturally interested, 10:
Ii the sentence OF the court-martial is car
ried out they will be- compelled to make
good to the Government the amount OF
Carter's shortage.
81 think that the report Of early action
in the Carter case is not well folnded,
said. an army officer today. who has given
some attention to the matter. Il am
told" he added. although have not en-
quired into 1t. that on or about the 9Th OF
next July Carter's bondsmen will be
absolyed from their liability provided that
the sentence of the court-martial is not
officially promulgated bsfO-e that time.
II this is true think you will find
that the Administration will not move in
the case until about July 10. Perhaps al
ter the bondsmen are let of Carriers pull
may not be go effective and he may be
actually dismissed from the service and
forced to pay fine of 5000. Mr.. Nc
Kinley is known to he most humane man.
but he can mete out stern justice at times.
II you doubt 1t just remember how unre-
lenting he was in the case OF Eagan!"
stephen j. Field.-The death OF Jus
tice Stephen }. Field takes from the world
that his life's work was finished. II he had
survived for ten years or longer he could
hardly have added to his fame or increas-
ed the sum of human Intelligence. Most
of the biographers of Justice Field state
! that his great ambition was TO break the
record of thirty-four years continuous
service on the Supreme Court bench. made
by Chief Justice Johns Marshall. but this is
| not strictly accurate. Breaking Marshalis
record was only an incident in Fields l:fe.
| He contracted a bad case Of Presidential
! fever about a quarter of century ago;
| he was a candidate for the Democratic
| Presidential nomination in 1876 and again
| 1885, and he would gladly have resigned
his seat on the bench to enter into the
arena Of politics. Later on he looked Tor
| ward to being made Chief Justice. He
never forgave Mr.. Cleveland for overlook
| ing his claims and appointing Melville W.
Fuller upon the death of Chief Justice
Waite. He registered VOW, 1t is said.
| that Mr. Cleveland would never have an
opportunity to appoint his tField's) sue
cessor. II was due largely 10 this fact. it
| is said. that Justice Field clung SO tena-
| ciously to life and his seat on the bench
throughout Mr. Cleveland's second admin
| istratiOn.
| Roosevelt im ChicagO.-The rouslng
reception accorded 10 Gov. Theodore Roose-
welt in Chicago yesterday has sent a tre-
NOR through Administration circles In this
city. 1t has given the supporters OF the
President something which physicians
would probably diagnose as that tired
l
| festation of Roosevelt's popularity outside
of his own State and particularly in what
Senator Hanna has regarded as Mckinley
stronghold They are apprehensive that
Roosevelt after all may prove TO be the man
| of the hour when the Presidential struggle
opens in 1900. Il don't like the looks OF
| this Roosevelt business in Chicago the
least bit" said a member OF the Admins
| tration circle oday.-.Reosevelt ought to
| stay at home and attend to his duties as
| Governor. 1t is not dignifed for State
executive to be running about the country
making political speeches and working up q
| Presidential boom for himself With the
President the case is different He is the
Executive Of the whole country and is sup
posed to have just>as much interest in one
State as another. l hope this Roosevelt
boom will not grow big enough to make
any serious trouble. but in the meantime II
| behooves the Administration to look oul
| for itself Alger must be fired forthwith.