The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-05-02
Russia Said Hands Off.
mckinley and Hay Backed
Down From Demand on
Turkey.

OF the Mckinley administration. the
exhibition of which Disguised 90
many Americans during the weeks
which Immediately preceded the war
with Spain, is again in full view of
the world. The present exhibition ia
connected with our relations with
Turkey Only few days ago, all of
the we'll known disseminators of
semi official news. in Washington.
were singing a song Of jingoism and
filling the newspaper men with
thrilling stories of the red hot demand
the administration had made upon
the Sultan of Turkey, to settle those
long standing missionary claims at
once, and intimating thst if the epon
dullx was not at once forthcoming,
an American feet would be cent into
turkish waters to forcibly collect it.
These stories were duly sent out, but
they didn't fire the country even a
little tiny bit, the people not being
IN jingo humor. But they did
something else They brought an
lnt'mation from Russia, in the politest
diplomatic language that there were
reasons which made it incumbent
upon Russia to object to any forcibIe
collection of claims from the sultan
That threw Secretary Hay into blue
funk. almost as bad as would have
followed snubbiug by an English
lord, and straightway the yellow
streak in the administration be sckbone
was uncovered, to add to the gaietv
OF nations and to the humiliation of
Americans. and the official announce
ment made that this government had
at no time intended to 60 beyond
diplomatic insistance in trying to
make the sultan pay the claim A
famous American wit once comment
ed upon an exhibition of a yellow
streak by public man, by saying
God Almighty hates a gutter, ;" and
it is well known to every observing
man that the American people also
hate aquitter
The senate seems to be pretty
nearly unanimous in one thing at
least-that the United States senate
has Go authority 10 investigate a
state legislatures qualification to
elect United States senator AL
though the temptation to 20 behind
the action of the West Virgins Iegis.
iature which elected Nathan B Scott,
to the senate was great. there being
plenty of evidence of crookedness,
only three senators-Pettus and Nor.
gan, of Alabama, and Turner, of
Washington, voted for the motion of
Senator Pettus to send the resolution
declaring Scott entitled to his seat
back to committee with instructions
to- further investigate his election
Senator Allen rebuked Senator
Chandler for his apparent anxiety to
roailroad the resolution reported from
the elections committee, declaring
Senator Clark, of Montana. not en-
titled to his seat through the Senate
when he SAID: Every man must
realize that il is asking good deal of
anyone who occupies q place in this
chamber to take the mere conclusions
of'a committee, without On oppor
tunity Of reading the evidence
upon which those conclusions
are based. am not interested in
this case one way or the other, but
the Senate cannot expect to dispose
OF it in two or three days when it hss
taken the committee three months to
hear Witnesses and reach judgment
That would be ridiculous in snv
tribunal" "
1t is strongly believed that the re.
signation O. Senator Clark will make
q vote necessary on this resolution,
although he still declines to talk for
publication
Democratic Senators nave decided
that the army reorganization bill con.
tains 80 many objectional features
that they viii not allow it to 90
throug the senate, and notice to that
effect has been served on the republ,
cans. Among the striking features
of the army bill are provision for
msking Gen Miles lieutenant general
(put in to catch democratic .votes)
and Gen Corbin major general; for the
increase of the regular army and for
doubling the number of cadets to
West Point. Senator Jones, of Ark.
the democratic leader. who never
minces words when he has anything
10 say. declared the Army bill to be
full Of rascalty
The republican leaders will allow
the Nicaragua Canal bill to pass the
House this week, simply because
they saw that they could not prevent
1t. but their present programme is to
hang it up in the Senate. tor fear that
its passage would not be pleasing to