The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-04-12
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., April 9, 100

WASHINGTON, D. c., April g. 1900.
The Dewey cat is now out OF the
bag and in full sight of everybody.
The Admiral has simply allowed him
self to be used by those Democrats
who still have hopes of keeping Mr..
Bryan out of the Democratic nomina-
ton. 1t is the Democratic nomina-
ton that the Admiral expects to get.
He has declared himself to be Dem
ocrat, although he has never cast
vote, and says the only time he ever
desired to vote was when Mr.. Cleve-
land was candidate for President.
The only effect of his candidacy will
be humiliation for himself. 1t is now
known that his announcement has fall
len as fiat everywhere else as it did in
Washington, and the Democrats in
Congress, who ought to know the sem
timent of their constituents, say that
Dewey has no more chance of being
nominated by the kansasCity conven-
ton than Grover Cleveland has.
Among Admiral Dewey's real friends
regret is expressed that he should
have listened to advice that must end
in bringing him great humiliation.
The Bryanites are already adding
gall to that humiliation by suggest
ing that Dewey may possibly be given
the nomination for Vice President on
the Bryan ticket. Just think of that,
will you'll The hero of Manila Bay,
the man who did more than any
other one man to give the United
States the Philippines. and who has
been referred to as the father of ex-
pansion, used as the tail of the Bryan
ticket, on a platform opposing expan-
sion and everything else that George
Dewey was supposed to stand for.
Surely that would be enough to make
Dewey wish he had never been born.
Secretary Gage does not pose as a
humorist, but the manner in which
he outwitted the New York newspa-
per, which sought cheap advertising
by bringing Porto Rican laborer
under contract to that city, was bit
of official humor that was relished in
Washington. Knowing the only OBJ
ject in bringing the man from Porto
Rico was advertising for the paper,
Secretary Gage exercised his authori-
ty and ordered that the man be per-
mitted to land in New York, and to
work under his contract until further
notice, instead of refusing to allow
him to land and giving the paper the
opportunity to take the case into the
courts. There is already a case be-
fore the United States Supreme Court
involving the question of whether
the Constitution extends to Porto
Rico, and if the decision in that case
is not conclusive, others can easily be
made without advertising any pri-
vate business. Secretary Gage de-
serves credit for heading off that ad-
vertising scheme. The courts are
not maintained for advertising pur-
poses, even though theatrical stars
do sometimes succeed in utilizing
them for self-advertisement.
President McKinley's order reliev-
ing Gen. Otis of the command of the
Philippines, whenever Otis pleases
to start home, and designating
General Macarthur to succeed him
was issued solely in compliance with
the wishes of Gen. Otis, and was ac-
companied by statement of the
Presidents regrets that Gen. Otis had
asked, on account of his health, to be
allowed to come home. AS "a mark of
his appreciation of the good work
done by Gen. Otis, the President has
authorized him to select the route by
which he will return, just as he did
for Dewey when he came home.
While nothing like a formal agree
ment has been entered into or even
proposed, there seems to be q sort of
racit understanding among Senators
that no attempt will be made to get a
vote on the Nicaragua Canal Treaty
at the present session, and that the
Nicaragua Canal bill will also be al
lowed to go over until the next SEES
sion. Several things have contribut-
ed to this understanding, not the
least of which is the desire of Repub-
licaps to bring the present session of
Congress to close before the meet
ing of the National Convention.
The bill providing a government
for the territory of Hawaii is now in
the House having passed
an amended substitute for the Senate
bill.
The House will this week pass the
Porto Rico Bill, just as it was passed
by the Senate. The large number of
Republican absentees prevented this
being done last week, right after the
caucus with only one dissenting vote
decided that it was better to pass the
bill as it came from the Senate than
to further amend it. Since then
every impaired Republican has been
notified to return to Washington.
The democrats have also ordered all
of their absentees to be on hand with
the hope that enough Republicans
will vote against the bill, or purpose
ly absent themselves when the vote
is taken, to enable them to defeat the
bill. The Republican leaders are not
alarmed, only they do not intend
20 take any chances. AS soon as they
are certain that they have the votes
at hand to pass the BILL it will be re-
ported from the Ways and Means
Committee. and n special rule will be