Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-04-05
WASHINGTON CHAT.

preparations to loot the Philir
pines. under public land an
timber concessions, are NAL
ing things warm for the administra
tion and demanding that promise
made to them to kept. There is On
obstacle--the Hoar amendment which
was added to the Philippine amend
ment to the army bill Although tha
amendment specifically prohibits tbs
granting of those concessions, the rep
resentatives of looting syndica te are
demanding that it be Ignored, ant
some of them are claiming that Sec
retary Root favors meeting their de.
mands.
The traditional bull in a china-shor
did not create more Consideration than
Representative Babcock, of Wiscon
sin. is creating among the trust bou ad
Republican bosses by talking up the
merits of his anti trust bill, which he
Introduced near the close of the last
Congress, and which he will re intro
duce. 1t will be remem bered that the
bill, as introduced, provided for a re-
peal of the duty OH all manufactured
steel and iron, its avOwed purpose be
Ing to prevent the big steel trust max.
Ing our people pay extortionate prices
for it's products. Mr.. Babcock, who
Is now in Washington, has received so
much encouragement and support for
his bill, that he has announced his in
tention to broaden it. SO as to hit two
more trusts-tin plate and plate glass
by adding clauses repeating the !
tariff On plate glass and tin-plate. He
has also served notice on the trust
bound Republicans that the bill shall
not be pigeon holed in Committee, and |
upon Republicans in general, that if |
they do not join him in curbing the |
trusts. they will see a party put in
power that will. It is certain that the
Democrats will support the bill in the
next Congress, and if Mr.. Babcock |
Can get as many Republican votes as
he thinks he can, all the power of the
trusts cannot prevent it's passage by !
the House.
Senator Burrows has dressed up the
bugaboo of a reduction in the Con-
gressional representation of those
states which have disfranchised ill1te-
rate voters, and is coddling it as ear
nestly as though it were bran new
baby and he We're its daddy. He has
also discovered and announced a veri-
table mares nest-that Congress has
authority to make new Congressional
at any time.
j Pierpont Morgan had long pri-
Tate conference with Senator Hanna
n Washington day OF two ago. 1t
vas given out that the conference was
n regard to new annex to the big l
teel trust, to control all vessels en- !
aged in carrying iron ore on the great
axes. Mr. Hanna being heavily inter-
sted in that traffic. 1t Is also highly
that Mr.. Morgan issued few
rders for the administration to follow y
dealing with bis trusts and other in {
erests. preferring to give those orders !,
the man to whom he gave his big v
contribution, rather than t,
irectly to Mr.. Mckinley. O.
Through the efforts of rival con- y !.
ern, scandal that was hushed up by n
lie War Department year ago has
ecome public. The Driggs-Seabury
un and Ammunition Company, n n
hich was given free use of govern fl
tent machinery in the Frankfort Ar
,nal, to enable it to fill its contracts W
ith this government, and while it was
lonths behind in its deliveries, it drop
ed U. s. work and accepted two coz
acts for similar work from the gov q,
nment OF Columbia, using the ma
linery belonging to- this government
make them. When Secretary Roots
ttention was called to the matter, he Va
'ked the contractors to make an ex- ~
lanation, which they did by saying u
lat the Columbian contracts were y
rofitable and that they needed the IL
loney, or words to that effect. And u
ecretary Root accepted that as salts
lctory explanation. But the end is
OF yet. The rival co npany is threat !"
ming suit in Court, and in any event Il
he matter will be heard from in Con. L
ress.
Governor Odell, of New York, who
las jumped into notoriety by his Cast !,
ng off Boss .Platt's collar, is being
roomed, according to inside Wash !.
ngton gossip, as New York's anti =
eddy candidate for the Republican =
residential nomination in 1904. Sena-
or Fairbanks continues to be spoken I
f as the administration candidate, but
he man the administ, alton really
wishes to see nominated and get nOmi.
lated if there is the slightest chance
II doing so without splitting the party, |.
$ Marcus A. Hanna. Of course it is
dannas cue now to poohpooh and
ak OF his being a Candidate, but all
he same be intends to get that nomi-
1atiOn if he can. r
The Hanna Mckinley crowd realize r
hat they have no cinca in the State
ampaign in Ohio this year, so they are
rylng to piacate all the hostile ele-
nents within the republican party.
hey threw sop to the Anti-Saloon :
league by letting it become known J
hat Lieut.. Gov. Caldwell, who is
ounsel for the State Liquor Dealers
association, would not be renominat-
d, and then to prevent any disgrun-
lement among the liquor men. prom