Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-04-05
NOTES FROM washington
Fresh Items of Interest on Impor-
tant Issues for Democratic
Readers.
SHORTCOMINGS OF THE ADMINISTRATION
Porto Rico Protection of the Con-
stitutiOn Democratic Protest
Against Imperialism - Miiftarism
Decried by the People.
LspeciaI CORRESPONDENCE

Against Imperialism M111tar1sm
Decried by the People.
Especial Correspondence
Cen Otis is coming home broken i'll
health and with the cheerful prospect
CT facing a storm of criticism from
the people of the country. Emphasis Is
put on the idea of continued military
government in the Philippines, by Nc
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
lose sight of the fact that Otis was
merely the agent of the administration.
He was carrying out a 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 bv no means in a state of subjuga-
ton. The sick soldiers are to be cleared
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-
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 10000 troops in the
islands are still occupied with the
Christian Filipinos in Luzon and the
| neighborhood.
Democrats in the Next House.
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.
He SAYS: THE congressional commit
tee holds frequent meetings. Its plans
! are being developed ana very active
campaign will be carried on in score
of districts, where it will only require
! the change of 500 or 500 votes to give
US democratic congressman instead of
! the present republican incumbents."
The Ohio Republicans.
The Ohio republican convention,
! which renominated Representative
I Grosvenor, adopted a resolution in re-
! gard to the Administrations attitude
! toward Porto Rico, which is rather sig
nificant. 1t is regarded in Washing
/ ton as foreshadowing the republican
! campaign explanation Of the failure TO
! extend the protection of the constitu-
! ton 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
/ the United States from unj Just cOmpe-
/ tition.''
Those same Ohio republicans, in their
! desire to support congress and the adj
ministration. probably forget that this
same congress proposes to pass a Ha
! waiian bill which will allow unrestrict-
! ed immigration of Cinnamon into this
! country for a year after passage OF the
/ ''protecton to labor and industry of
! 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
I ans have, it is a very weak one and will
j hardly appeal to intelligent voters.
Protest Against Imperialism.
| Speaking of the competition between
I the cheap labor of Porto Rico and the
| Philippines with that of the United
! States. Chairman Jones, of the demo-
! cratic national committee, points out
! that the democrats are only for free
| 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
! free trade between the states is neces-
/ sary, under the constitution. The dem
! ocrats have, however, from time to
! time pointed out to their republican
| brethren who are daft on the ques-
! ton OF Imperialism that the acquisi-
| ton of the insular possessions brought
with it very grave questions affecting
/
| try, and that the party which stood for
| Imperialism must take the conse-
| quences when the people had an oppor-
| tunity to express their opinion of the
matter. 1t looks now as if the protest
| against Imperialism and its attendant
| evils is gathering strength every day
Money for MiIitarisrl.
The army appropriation bill is be-
| fore the house. 1t asks for total of
nearly Sis, 100000 for the fiscal year.
| The bill is very long and involved. 1t
| begins with modest items. The mill
| lions are tucked away in modest cor
| ners in the bill, but they are there. The
debate on it is anything but mild. The
house has been smarting over the Por-
to Rican matter and the army bill gives
the opportunity to go into the whole
question of republican colonial policy
The republicans are very anxious to
pass the measure, because they must
have the money with which to keep a
big army in the Philippines.
Protests against the measure are COM
ing in from farmers, wage workers and
merchants. Militarism is not popular
with the people-who have to foot the
bills. And the disclosures in the Occur
D'Alene investigation are stirring up
considerable apprehension in the coun-
try as to the ACCESSIBILITY of heavily tax
he TNooTllp To S11DnnT+ bir