Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-05-28
FEAR THE PEOPLE.
ADMINISTRATION FORCES ARE
ON THE RUN.
The President Is Anxious to Got Con-
gress on His Hands-The Reign of
Gold and MiIitarism Shows Signs of
Collapse.

Early adjournment" is now the
slogan of the administration Repup-
licans. President Mckinley has ad-
Vlsed certain members of congress that
he thinks June l good time for ad-
journment. In other words, the presi-
dent would feel more at ease if his
own congress were not continually en-
phasizing the blunders which he so
readily makes without any assistance
at all. Mark Hanna is credited with
, having given the administration the
luminous idea that congress would
only continue to pile valuable cam
paign material up for the Democrats
the way too soon. 1t Is estimated that
the appropriation bills can be rushed
through by June l. and there really
isn't very much else in sight.
! AS to the insular possessions the
program is imperialism with the ad-
! ministration as sole director. 1t is
thought that with the Puerto Rican bill
once out of the way the bill continu-
ing military rule in the Philippines can
easily be put through by the Republi-
can majority.
The Hawaiian bill has already been
voted on in house and senate and now
goes to conference. 1t contains plenty
OF loopholes for the perpetuation OF
contract labor slavery, and that is the
one thing which the sugar planters
want. The bill provides that civil
prosecution shall supersede criminal
action in case laborer breaks his con-
tract. But it has been amply proved
that the civil courts imprison the la
borer until he is ready to return to
servitude, so that is satisfact ry to
those who find such labor a great
cource of profit.
Smothering Legislation.
The Republicans have a general pro
gram of smothering in committee ev-
erything which might embarrass them.
On this theory the Cour d'Alene inves-
tigation is being drawn out, in the
( hope that if the military affairs COM
mittee reports at all it will be too late
for any extended discussion or definite
action.
The army and navy appropriation
bills are pretty well under way. They
ask altogether an appropriation of
about S200,O00,00O for the fiscal year
The administration is piling up the ex-
! penses of militarism until they come
very close to the expenditures of the
great continental powers. There has
been some desultory talk of a reduc-
tion of war taxes. The Republican
leaders in congress plead want of time
in which to handle such a measure,
but the real reason is that they do not
know where to begin looping off the
taxes. If they make a reduction which
appeals to the popular mind they will
offend very important special interests
and vice versa. So on the whole it is
likely that the people will be permitted
to pay war taxes until they register
their opinion of that and several other
pieces of administration policy at the
polls next November.
| Gen. Otis Return.
! 1t is now definitely stated that Gen.
Otis is to return from the Philippines
at an early date. OF course he is not
4 ordered" home. He has merely been
notified that he had better return at
his earliest convenience. He will prob
ably be glad to drop the whole task
and let the new commission potter
around and theorize during the rainy
season. 1t is suggested at Washington
, that the new commission is going to
the Philippines to investigate and ex-
plain what the former commission, of
which Admiral Dewey was a member,
managed to accomplish. Nobody eX
poets that any commission will do any
thing Of value. but it will furnish Me-
kinley with an excuse for making
campaign promises about the rainbow
tinted future OF American imperialism
in the Philippines. The administration
is possessed with a comfortable delu
sion that the voters of the, country only
/ need to have its Philippine policy
explained" and all will yet be well.
AS matter of fact. there are indica-
tlons that Washington is about the
only place in the country where the
administration policy is not thorough
ly understood and condemned. And
the lack of understanding here is con-
fined to the administration and its fol-
lowers in congress.
The sick list In the Philippines is
growing so rapidly that the sick sol
diers are to be huddled like cattle on
board transports and sent home. The
hospital room Is needed in Manila, aud
1t is now discovered that the two ex-
pensive hospital ships, Missouri and
Relief, are practically unseaworthy, so
the sick soldiers must take the long
journey in actual discomfort if not alb
solute privation.
Admiral Dewey's Candidacy.
| Admiral Dewey's announcement of
his determination to be a candidate for
president crystallized the vague fear
that had been noted in administration
| circles for some time. Mckinley has