The Forrest City times., 1900-04-06
NOTES FR0A WASHINGTON
Fresh Items of Interest on Impor- tant Issues for Democratic
 Readers.
SHORTCOMINGS OF THE ADMINISTRATION
Failure of Republicans to Extend to Porto Rico Protection of the Con- stitution Democratic Protest Against Imperialism - Militarism Decried by the People.
Especial Correspondence.I

Special Correspondence.l
 Gen. Otis is coming home broken in health and with the cheerful prospect of facing storm of criticism from the people of the country. Emphasis IS put on the idea of continued military government in the Philippines. by Me kinley's plan of dividing the territory into four military departments, with general at the head of each.
 Otis has been accused of various de- grees of incompetency, and perhaps has merited much of the unfavorable criticism, but the democrats do not lcse sight of the fact that Otis was merely the agent of the administration. He was carrying out campaign planned in Washington. ii he was not able and efficient, the responsibility still rests with the administration for not selecting some commander who was.
 The republicans are saying as little as possible about the Philippines these days, but it is evident that the islands are by no means in state of subjuga
 
 out of the hospitals around Manila and sent home so as to leave room for the great increase in the sick list which is expected as soon as the rainy season sets in.
 While of course the administra- l ton likes to give out the impression that the ''insurrection" is over, yet it is not considered advisable" to less en the forces in the islands. In fact it is whispered that more troops may be needed if the Mohammedan sultan of Sulu should happen to become re- | bellious, while the 70,000 troops in the islands are still occupied with the Christian Filipinos in Luzon and the neighborhood.
 Democrats in the Next House. l Representative Richardson, chair man of the democratic congressional committee, speaks very hopefully in re- | gard to the democratic chances for capturing a majority of the next house. 1 He says: The congressional commit tee holds frequent meetings. Its plans are being developed unG very active campaign will be carried on in score of districts, where it will only require | the change of 500 or 600 votes to give us democratic congressman instead of the present republican incumbents." The Ohio Republicans. l The Ohio republican convention, which renominated Representative Grosvenor, adopted a resolution in re- z, Io T ,s af4 Aa 1 toward Porto Rico, which is rather sig nificant. It is regarded in Washing ! ton as foreshadowing the republican campaign explanation of the failure 10 extend the protection of the constitu- tion to that island.
 Gen. Grosvenor managed to get his constituents in convention to declare in substance that they favor tariff between Porto Rico and the rest of the United States, in order ito protect the labor and industry of the people of 1 the United States from unjust compe- tition."
 Those same Ohio republicans, in their desire to support congress and the ad- ministration, probably forget that this same congress proposes to pass a Ha- waiian bill which will allow unrestrict- country for a year after passage of the bill. How will they square that with protection to labor and industry of 1 the United States?" Representative Grosvenor is very jubilant over his sue cess in explaining the whole Porto | Rican muddle to his constituents, but the democrats are of the opinion that if this is the only defense the republic ans have, it is a very weak one and will hardly appeal to intelligent voters.
 Protest Against Imperialism.
 Speaking of the competition between the cheap labor of Porto Rico and the | Philippines with that of the United 1 States, Chairman Jones, of the demo- cratic national committee, points out that the democrats are only for free l trade with those islands inasmuch as | it is one of the incidental and necessary | features of the possession of such ter ritory by the United States, just as l free trade between the states is neces- sary, under the constitution. The dem- l ocrats have, however, from time to  1 time pointed out to their republican i brethren who are daft on the ques- 1 tion of imperialism that the acquisi- tion of the insular possessions brought with it very grave questions affecting 1 the industrial conditions of this coun- try, and that the party which stood for l imperialism must take the conse- quenees when the people had an oppor- tunity to express their opinion of the matter. It looks now as if the protest against Imperialism and its attendant evils is gathering strength every day. Money for Miiitarism.
 The army appropriation bill is be- fore the house. 1t asks for a total of nearly $115, .oo0 for the fiscal year. The bill is very long and involved. It begins with modest items. The mil