The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1900-05-04
Washington Letter.
{ From OurERegular Correspondent. }

}fiOosH ourEhegular correspondent
Washington, April 23ra, 1900 =
Hsa the President or Congress supreme
authority in Cab =? That is brand
new gdestion that has been rAisel by
the resolution offered by Senator Bacoo
and adopted by the Senate without
opposition, calling upon the Secretary
OF War for information az to payments
made TO Army officers, serving in
Cuba, ,5outside of their regular allow.
alces and salary. II is contended by
the War .Depil tment, and by many
in CaGgress, that Cuba is uEd,r mills
tary rule, aud the President being
omaaander-in Chief, Congress has
nothing tc do with any action order.
ed by the Executive. The order that
precipitated the controversy is an old
one, issued when Mr.. Alger was Secre.
'ary of War, making an allowance for
expenses for several Army officers
filling high positions in the military
government Of Cuba, from the Cuban
revenues. These allowances are still
continued. Tho two sides of The
controversy ere shown in the f,llow-
ing colloquy between Senators Platt,
OF Cum, and Daniel, Of Virginia,
after the former mad stated that Cuba
was undo military -executive-and
not legislative control: Mr.. Daniel
I'd, not the acts OF Congress control
in Cuba?' Mr.. Piatt-"No." Mr..
DIniei-"Do not the law, Of the u
S. as to tha pay aad em,lumeats of
ofhcer,rf the army apply in Cuba ?"
Mx, Platt-"As to the pay and cmolu-
meutsef srmy off ;ers, yes but as to
what shall be done in Cuba, no. Oar
occupation of Cuba is military aud IL
undsr executive and rot Legislative
au hority." Mr.. Dlniel-''Wher.
does the Pres 'cat get this great
auth h1rity?' Mr.. Plat -"From the
Constitution. As Commandel n Chief
.ofthe Army, the President has autholi-
~ far beyond the, pwer which may be
conferred upon t4I a'S'::sy Congress"
s. cretary Root v .,oud the iltorma-
tion ask ed for byaSSs,iAS1Sn 'sSn resolution
to The SepaS th:"Sy, S,GS bone, !; i"aen in the CON
trOversy kwE any bones ipbe. renewed.
That leade gin each Of always control
in Gonp.ess is issS"y Syhs' Known to close
-ahss.A Sme2;':i One IN each; e proof that they
Ho"N HOw.uKe up ths Nreai-tthn-
Canal Bill n,,vSy ], and vote upoa it
the next day. In this case the leaders
were wise enough to acccie to tie
polite request of go members # the
House and change their pan Ct post
poning the Canal Bill until next
wiuter. They knew that it was in tho
power of these $50 members to force
compliance with their wishes at any
time they might sec tit to do 30. The
passage of the bill is assured.
Consul General Goodnow, in re-
port to the Department of State, from
Shanghai, knocks the bottom out of
the newspaper stories alleging that
the establishment Of Ch nese cotton
msnufac ,uring plants were endanger'
ing American trade in the Orient.
He points out the fact that American
labor is about four times as effective
as that of Chinese; also that the cot
ton mills at Shanghai only spin coarse
yarn, which is furnished to the con-
sumers in the interior, who weave il:
Oh hand looms, and have been run.
ninS up to the present time at loss.
The report concIrdcs as follows: The
cotton c'oths dominating the arket
in n >rthern Chino, aud pow c3al
longing the trade in central China
ara from America. We can control
this market 30 long as we have al
equal entrance into all China, eapec
tally as freight lines from our country
are multiplied; and when the Mica.
rayua Canal is built, no other than
American goods need apply in China
The action of the War Department
in ordering canned roast beef sent tc
the Philippines for soldiers in the ir
terioc who Cannot be supplied with
refrige,at:d fresh beef, although issued
on the rec ec)mmeDdation Of officers over
there, including Gen. Ole, has caused
much gossip in Washington. The
order va, Issued without consulting
G,n. Milts, whose opposition t.
canned corn beef as an army ration
WAS made plain 2dtiug tho oourt
mar ial tf Gen. Etgsu. When Gen
Mics was q ked what he thought of th'
order, he replied: ut has been dem
onstrate1 that the bes. M :at supplied
to au army is beef on the hoof. Tha
is all | caro- to say"