Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1900-01-12

Truth Appears Regarding the Philippine War
Senator Allen Not to Be Caught by MoIas-
ses-The Second Sober Thought Regarding
! Congressman Roberts Government Lines of
Steamships Why Hemp Has Advanced 400
| per Cent.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5, 1900.
AS soon As Congress reassembled
the hammering OF Secretary Gage for
his fagoritism in depositing govern
ment money in national banks was
begun. Senator Allen and Represent
ative Sulzer offered resolutions calling
Tor all letters, kilograms, agreements,
etc, between the United States Treas.
ury and the City National Bank and the
Hanover National Bank, of New York
City. Mr.. Suffers resolution was re-
ferred to the committee on WAYS and
Means, and Mr.. Aliens is on the table
OF the Senate. The hammering will
be continued.
Senator Chandler, who is one of the
Republicans who acknowledges fear
of the committal OF his party to the
single gold standard, has offered an
amendment to the gold standard bill,
now before the Senate. providing for
more attempted bamboozling in the
shape OF a continuance of the alleged
efforts to secure international bimetal-
lism.
Senator Hoar gave the imperialists
IN the Senate quite a scare when OBJ.
jections were raised to Senator Petit
CREWS resolution asking the Secretary
of War whether it was true that Agui.
naldo had sent flag OF truce to Gen.
Otis the day after the fighting of our
men began, with message saying
that the fighting started through an
accident and asking his cooperation
to stop It, and Otis had replied by say
ing that the fighting must continue,
by saying: "If there is to be an ab.
solute suppression of all requests for
information concerning the war with
the Filipinos, l shall object to the TAX
ing up OF other matters during the
morning hour when such resolutions
are pending"
Senator Allen put quick stop to
the rumor that he was to be brought
out by the Nebraska fusionists as
their candidate for President, bv de.
claring that he was not a candidate.
would not be, and would not accent
the nomination if it were unanimous
ly rendered to him. He clinched it
by adding: "Mr. Bryan undoubtedly
will be the candidate of the Demo
cratic, Populist and Free Silver par
ties for the Presidency, and Nebraska
will give him united, active delega-
ton to all three conventions" Sena-
tor Allen also took occasion to say
that there was absolutely no founda-
ton for the stories of trouble in the
fusion ranks because OF his appoint
ment to the Senate; that his appoint
ment had been determined upon by
the Governor before Mr.. Bryan knew
anything about it, and that the rela.
tons between Mr.. Bryan and Mr.
Hitchcock and himself were of the
most harmonious character, and would
continue so.
There may be a minority report
from the Roberts committee, not con-
corning the polygamy of Roberts,
which is regarded as having been
proven, but on the right of a member
OF Congress with proper credentials to
be sworn in. Most Democrats have
been OF the opinion from the first that
the proper way to proceed was to
swear in Roberts and then take vote
as to whether he should be expelled
from the house. The same opinion is
held by many Republicans, but their
party organization is go rigid that
they are not likely to vote their con-
victions.
When orders issued this week by
the War Department are carried ont
the United States government will
own and maintain two lines of ocean
steamships, one from San Francisco to
Honolulu and Manila, and one from
New York to Cuban and Porto Rican
ports. In view OF this, it would seem
to be about time for the Republicans
to stop calling men who believe that
the government should own all trans
portation lines, cranks. If it be right
and proper for the government to own
two steamship lines, what would be
wrong about its owning. all the rail-
road, steamship and telegraph lines, If
the people 40 willed?
Instead of squaring the administra. |
ton with the users of hemp cord and
rope, Assistant Secretary Meiklejohn's
two contradictory statements about
the war in the. Philippines have moth
ing 10 do with the present high price
OF hemp, have served to direct public
attention to what looks like a scandal
involving the War Department, or
some of its subordinstes. How the
thing looks to outsiders may be judged
from the following remarks OF Mr.. L.
J. Powell. a Hong Kong business man
who ia now in Washington: "The
surprising inactivity of the United
States War Department in the matter
of opening the hemp ports in the
Philippines is hard to understand.
With the price of hemp more than
400 per cent. above the normal, and
the whole supply in the hands of a
few wealthy speculators holding on
for a still greater advance, it will be
hard year for the wheat-growers and
shipping men. American farmers
use $10,OOO,O 600 worth of binder Irvine
each harvest, and if the bill should be
swollen to two or three times that fig
ure no doubt there will be some lively |
kicking from them. 1t is openly
charged in the East that some OF the
military authorities in the Philippines
are on the friendliest terms with the
spectators who have cornered the
market. and are representing that to
open the ports and ship out hemp
would put money in the insurgents
pockets. This is absolutely a false
statement, for all the hemp now
stored at blockaded ports is owned by
American and English merchants.
There are no insurgents in the vicin-
ity of many of the closed harbors, yet