Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-05-03
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent


The broad streak of yellow down the backbone
of which disguised so many Americans during
the weeks which Immediately proceeded the
war with Spain, is again in full view Of the
world. The present exhibition is connected with
Turkey. Only few days ago, all of the we'll
known disseminators of semi-oficial news, in
Washington, were singing song of jfngoism
and filling the newspaper men with thrilling
stories of the red hot demand the administra
ton had MADE upon the Sultan of Turkey, to
settle those long-standing missionary claims at
once, and intimating that if the spondulixs was
not at once forthcoming, an American feet
would be sent into Turkish waters to forcibly
collect it, These stories were duly sent out, but
they didn't fire the country even little tiny
bit, the people not being in lingo humor. But
they did something else. They brought an init
nation from Russia, in the politest diplomatic
language that there were reasons which made it
incumbent upon Russia TO object to any forcible
collection of claims from the Sultan. That
threw Secretary Hay into blue funk, almost as
bad as would have followed q snubbing by an
English lord, and s.raightway the yellow streak
in the administration backbone was uncovered,
to add to the gaiety of nations and to the
humiliation Of Americans, and the official
announcement made that this government had
at no time intended to go beyond diplomatic
insistanee in trying to make the Sultan pay that
claim. A famous American wit once commented
upon an exhibition OF yellow streak by pub
lie man, by saying: ''God Almighty hates a
quitter' and it is well known to every observ-
ing man than the American people also hate q
gutter.
The Senate seems to be pretty nearly unan-
imous in one thing at least-that the United
States Senate has no authority to investigate
State Legislatures qualification to elect United
State Senator. Although the temptation to go
behind the action of the West Virginia Legisla
ture which elected Nathan B. Scott to the SEN
ate was great, there being plenty of evidence of
crookedness, only three Senators-Pettus and
Morgan. of Alabama, and Turner, of Washing
ton, 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 railroad the resolution
reported from the elections committee, declar-
ing Senator CLARK, of Montana, not entitled to
his seat through the Senate when he said;
deal of anyone who occupies a place in this
chamber to take the mere conclusions of q
Committee. without an opportunity 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 has
taken the Committee three months to hear
witnesses and reach judgment That would
hc rfd
believed that the resignation of Senator Clark
will make vote unnecessary on this resolution,
although he still declines 10 talk for publica-
ton.
Democratic Senators have decided that the
army reorganization bill contains SO many
objectionable features that they will not allow
it to go through the Senate and notice to that
effect has been served on the Republicans.
Among the striking features of the army bill are
provisions for making General Miles Lieutenant
General (put in to catch Democratic votes) and
General Corbin Major-General; for the increase
of the regular army and for doubling the mum
Der Of cadets to West Point. Senator Jones, of
Arkansas, the Democratic leader, who never
minces words when he has anything to say,
declared the Army bill to be full of rascality.
The Republican leaders will allow the Nicsra-
qua Canal bill TO pass the House this week
simply because they saw that they could not
prevent it. but their present programme is to
hang it up in the Senate, for fear that its pas
ssge would not be pleasing to England. which is
already somewhat displeased because the
Nicaragua Canal Treaty has not been ratified.
Still. the country is expected to believe the
repeated assertions of administration men that
there is no secret understanding between the
Mckinley administration and the English
government.
Whatever the administration may be able TO
do in the House with the hip-subsidy job. the
scheme viii not get through the Senate at this
session. The Democratic Senators who opposed
this scheme have received unexpected support
in their fight against it, from Quay's Republican
friends, who intend to let Hanna, who is the
most active pusher of the job, see that they
resent the successful deal by which be kept
Quay out of the Senate. These Republican
Senators would probably not vote against the
subsidy bill if put to the test but they win
probably quietly help the Democratic Senators
to prevent its reaching vote, which win be
practically the same thing