Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-04-12
(From our regular correspondent


Will Pay This Tims--mcKinIsy Will Play thu
hit or Miss Game in Dealing with AeunaIdo
From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, April 5, 1901.
Mr.. Mckinley and Boss Hanna
have again had their heads together
over Ohio politics. They don't like
the returns from the municipal cleo.
tons in the State, and they specially
dislike the election of Tom l.. John
son to be Mayor of Cleveland. They
recognize that Mr.. Johnson's success
full re-entry into politics means trouble
and lot OF it for the Republican ma
chine in Ohio, and that it may turn
out also to be factor in the national
political arena, as it is an open secret
that Mr.. Johnson only became can
didate for Mayor as stepping-stone
to nomination for something higher
They believe that Mr.. Johnson will be
a central figure in the State campaign
this year, whether he becomes the
Democratic candidate for Governor or
the Democratic candidate to succeed
Senator Foraker, and they fear him
and his known personal popularity in
the State. And they are not alone in
fearing him. Col. w. o. Tolford, of
Columbus, which also elected a Demo-
cratic Mayor, who is Republican and
has something of a reputation as an
expert on the currents OF Ohio politics,
and who is now in Washington, said
Mayor-elect johnson will start with
an advantage now for higher places.
He is very clearly in line for the Dem.
ocratic nomination for Governor this
year. Nobody believes that he can
carry the State, but he may make
trouble in the Legislature. And if he
can ev, n reduce Gov. Nash's majority
for a reelection to a small figure he
will be powerful factor in the Demo-
cratic National Convention. He sure
ly is vote-getter."
According to whispered gossip
around the War Department. Mr..
Meiklejohn, who is in Washington.
he says to attend to some private mat
tiers, and others say to see if he cannot
get hold of another Federal salary, and
Secretary Root had a bitter quarrel,
during which the former accused the
latter Of having prevented his election
to the Senate by forcing him out of
the position of Assistant Secretary of
War while the Nebraska Legislature
was in deadlock, and Secretary Root
retorted by saying that the duties of
the Assistant Secretary of War were
in Washington, and not in Lincoln,
Nebraska.
Again Pierpont Morgan! That
man seems determined to control
everything in sight and lot of things
not in sight. While officials deny the
story that Mr.. Morgan, during his re-
cent visit to Mr.. Mckinley, offered to
buy out the Panama Canal Co. and
complete the canal, giving the United
States government any concessions it
might desire as to the control of the
canal in time OF war, with private cap
ital without cost to this government,
provided, that Mr.. Mckinley would
pledge this government to kill the
project for the construction OF canal
over the Nicaragua route, it is gene
rally believed in Washington that Mr..
Morgan did make some such offer to
Mr.. Mckinley and further that it is
being considered. The story is plaus-
ible, and if true would explain much
OF the mysterious opposition to the
Nicaragua Canal bill which constantly
dropped out in unexpected places
while the late Congress was in session.
1t is known that Mr.. Morgan's rela-
tons are close with the big railroad
interests that opposed Nicaragua ca
nal legislation, as we'll as with the
capitalists who compose the so called
American Panama Canal Co., which
is believed to have been organized for
purely speculation purposes. Another
thing that adds to the plausibility of
the story is that the State Depart
ment, in its negotiations with the Co
lombian minister and the president OF
the Panama Canal Co., clearly shows
its recognition of the possibility OF the
Panama canal passing under Ameri-
can control. Since it was started by
De Lesseps the Panama Canal Co. has
been not one swindle, but q series oil
gigantic swindles. which have made
rascals millionaires and thousands OF
honest French investors paupers
With that record open to all it is not
conceivable that the American people
will ever endorse any connection oil
this government under any circum.
stances or conditions with the Panama
Canal Co.
The administration has once more
revived the story that the Sultan oil
Turkey is about to pay those long.
standing American missionary claims
Like all its predecessors, the new
story says that this time payment is
cocksure. owing to the cleverness with
which our diplomats have got the Sui.
tan bound. Common decency ought
to keep the administration silent on
this question until it can announce
that these claims have been paid. II
has allowed itself to be bluffed and
bamboozled by the Sultan to an ex.
tent that has made this government
the laughing-stock of the diplomatic
world.
1t looks as though the administra.
ton were shifting the responsibility
OF dealing with Aguinaldo upon Gen
MacArthur's shoulders. At least that
is the inference from it's having sup.
pressed Gen. MacArthur's cablegram
telling how and why Aguinaldo tool
the oath of allegiance to the United
States; also the instructions sent to
Macarthur on the subject. 1t is an
old game. If everything goes right, il
will be announced that Gen. Mac.
Arthur was acting under instructions
from the administration; if there is a
slip anywhere that results in public
condemnation, it will be said that Gen
Macarthur acted in his own discre.
ton and made a mistake. In other
words, it is case of heads, Mckinley
wins, tails, Macarthur loses.