The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1899-01-13
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. c., January 9th.

Mr. EDIToR:-Scnator Mason fired III
unexpected bomb shell into the ranks OF
the Philippine anneXationists when he
| offered his resolution, starting With {:
quotation from the Declaration of Indie
pendence-"W all just powers OF
government are derived from the consent
of the governmcnt"-and declaring that
the United States will not attempt to GOV
ern the people of any other country with
out the consent Of the people themselves
or subject them by force to our dominion
against their will. Unless the attitude of
Aguinaldo and his followers changes
widely from what the latest official advices
state it to be, we nave got to govern them
by force or not at all.
Representative Bailey won his constitu
tional fight without report from the
House Judiciary Committee, although the
members of the Committee are understood
to be unanimous in the belief that the ac-
ceptance of commission in the volunteer
army, by a Re preventative, vacates his
seat in the House. Gar Reed won Mir.
Bailey's fight for him, by refusing to GER
tify the vouchers for the pay of the three
members of the House who hold commits
sions.
The mail of Southern Senators and
| Representatives is full of protests from
| ex-Confederate soldiers against the pro-
| posal of Senator Butler, of North Carolina,
to give them United States pensions.
Senator Pascal presented formal memo
rial to the Senate against the Butler idea,
| from the Confederate veterans of Ocala,
Fla.
The House has administered its annual
scare to the Civil Service Commission,
| and it was more real than usual. This
time the House, sitting as Committee of
the whole, actually voted to strike out Il e
| appropriation for the Civil Service Com
| mission, in the Executive, Legislative and
Judicial bill. When the yea and nay vote
was taken, however, the appropriation got
a small majority, and this years scare was
over
Senator Caffrey, of Louisiana, and Rep
| resentative Swanson, of Virginia, made
speeches in support of Senator Vests reso-
| luton, declaring colonial system to be
prohibited by the United States Constitu-
ton. Mr.. Swanson, after pointing out
that, in his opinion, the trade advantage
we would secure by the annexation of the
Philippines, would not begin to balance
the expense of keeping them. stated his
belief that the main support of the imper-
ialistic policy came from those who are
working to bring about an offensive and
defensive alliance between the United
States and Great Britain. Senator CAT
frey's speech was reply to that made be-
fore the holiday recess by Senator Plat
of Connecticut He said: Here the bold
proposition is advanced that the right to
| govern is broad and imperial and without
limitation by our Constitution. If the
argument advanced by the Senator from
Connecticut be true and sound, then the
individual rights of man are to be held by
the United States under Congressional
despotism. Our Constitution knows nc
despotism; it seduously provides agains,
despotism; but right here is despotisn
of the most fragrant character possible"
No one doubts that the treaty OF Peace
which went to the Senate last week. will
in due time receive the necessary number
of votes to ratify it, with number tc
spare, but it does not necessarily follow
that the Senate WILL in the meantime, con
sent to be muzzled. This was fully dem
onstrated when the Senate adopted, ovel
| the vigorous protest of Senator Davis
Chairman of the Committee ON Foreign
Relations, and late Peace Commissioner
Senator Hoar's resolution calling upon the
President, if not incompatible with public
interests, to send to the Senate copies Of
| all instructions given to the Peace Com
missioners, and of all correspondence Will
the Commissioners during their stay il
Paris. The Senate took the ground thai
it ought to have this information before
voting on the treaty.
The boys who tried to eat the ''embalm
ed' beef issued to them in Cuba and Porte
Rico will have to read the testimony o.
Alger- controlled army officers in order to
find out what elegant beef that was, ant
how mistaken they were in finding fault
with it. A man who was in both place:
and who knew what he was talking abou,
remarked: The testimony of some o.
these officers is quite as nauseating to mt
| as that embalmed beef was"
There are reasons for the belief that hi:
dickering with Aguinaldo cost E. Spencer
Pratt the position of United States Consu
at Singapore, to which Robert A. Mosley
Jr., of Alabama, has been nominated
Pratt was largely responsible for A guinal
dos being taken to Manila by Admira
Dewey, fact of which he boosted in re
Gently published official correspondence
1t is stated that Pratt resigned his position
but he was probably officially invited tc
do so.
AS a rule. democrats in Congress decline
to discuss, for publication, the statement
against silver and in favor of expansion
made by Mr.. Richard Croker head of the
| Tammany organization, further than tt
say that they accept Mr.. Crokcrs assertion
that the statement was made as his indi
vidual opinion and that as such it is
worth no more than the opinion of any
other individual democrat of equal promi
nencc. Privately, a number of them have
expressed the opinion that so far as any
thing he can accomplish by going to the
| Democratic National Convention is con-
cerned Mr., Croker might just as well stay
at home.
sen ATOR HOAR'S SPEC I'll.
| Senator Hoar, of Massachusetts, made
| , Il ~