Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-05-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.

Does the administration really favor
the Nicaragua Canal? In view of the
known condition of public sentiment,
that question may sound odd, but there
were things said In the debate which
preceded the passing of the Nicaragua
Canal bill by the house which made it
pertinent. Representative Hepburn, of
Iowa, who was in charge of the bill,
had sensational row with Representa-
tive Cannon, of Illinois, a man close to
the administration, whom he charged
with working in the interest of the
Panama Canal ring, in trying to defer
action on the bill. Representative Bur-
ton, of Ohio, also man close to the
administration, made speech against
naming the route of the canal in the
bill. These things were enough to
arouse the suspicion that the admins
tration was not acting in good faith,
and there were others. 1t is said that
failure of the canal commission to
make preliminary report was owing
to hint from the administration. Per
haps Boss Hanna Thinks of working
the Panama Canal Company for q big
campaign contribution. At any rate, it
is we'll known that the bill just passed
by the house will not be acted upon by
the senate at this session.
Capt. Chadwick has found out that
the protection extended to Rear Amir
al Sampson by the administration does
not include all of SIMPSONS friends.
Secretary Longs letter reprimanding
Chadwick-the second within a year
for the same otfense-published this
week, for slurring at Rear Admiral
Schley, was about as singing docu-
ment as was ever sent by secretary of
the navy to an officer; but the univer-
sal verdict is that Chadwick got no
more than he deserved.
Senator Sewell, of New Jersey, has
more nerve than most of the republi-
can senators on the trust question. His
republican colleagues work for the
trusts on the quiet, but he had the
audacity to say in speech on the floor
of the senate that the Standard Oil
trust and the sugar trust were public
benefactors. A few more benefactors
like them and there will be no more
trusts. Benefactions Of the sort they
bestow contain the germs of revolution.
Senator Pettigrew presented figures
showing that neither of the trusts
named by Mr. Sewell had done any
thing which was not directed toward
the crushing out of competition and
the increase Of their own profits.
From every direction comes the
strongest evidence that the republicans
have hard fight before them. Nobody
realizes this any better than Boss
Hanna, and he is frank enough to say
so. That there is general revolt
against the policies and practices of the
Mckinley administration, is certain, al
though its strength is IS yet uncertain
Mr.. II. j. Jackson, a business man of
Fall River, Mass, has been showing
his Washington friends letter written
him by prominent citizen of Massa.
chusetts, from which the following is
quoted: "From this distance it looks
as though the game of national poll.
tics is going to be hard one for Presi-
dent Mckinley to play this year. The
coming of the Boer emissaries seems
likely to stir up hornets nest among
the Irishmen and the German Dutch
sympathizers of the Beers in this coun-
try. The longer the war continues the
stronger the American sentiment seems
to grow against England" Mr.. Jackson
says of thepolitical on tlook: 1.-THE repub
licans are going to have trouble in New
England. There are great many
causes to which this can be attributed"
Yes, and they are going to have trouble
in all the other sections of the country,
and they are only going to get what
they deserve.
The United States Supreme Court,
after spending two days hearing argu.
ments in the Kentucky case, took q re.
cess until May II, when the decision