Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-04-11
WASHINGTON LETTER.
[From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April 8, 100

w TAoAAtANOAO4t1 - -SS~'
The Philippine looters scored an impor-
tant point when Secretary Root decided
that the Hoar amendment to the Army
bill, prohibiting the granting of conces-
sions in the Philippines did not prevent the
issuing of licenses to cut timber on public
lands under the regulations promulgated
by Gen. Macarthur, last July. While ii
will not be as profitable to cut timber under
"a license, requiring that the government
shall be paid from one-half cent TO seven
cents cubic foot for all that is cut, accord
ing to grade, quality and value, as it would
have been under outright concessions of the
right to cut timber in certain sections OF the
islands, it will still be profitable and will
save the money that has already been spent
by the hooters in preparing to handle the
concessions they expected TO get.
Although hardly pushed to furnish
official salaries for Republican lame ducks
who are still unprovided for, Mr.. MeKin-
ley was not prepared to select Governor
of Porto Rico from that class, or else he
was afraid to do so. So he surprised Gov.
Allen, who came to Washington for the
express purpose of resigning that office,
by telling him that he must hold Il a while
longer. Being one Of Mr., Mckinley
good friends, Coy. Allen swallowed his
disappointment as best he could, and
promised to return TO Porto Rico about the
LIST OF May. BY the way, speaking OF
Porto Rico, there is wide difference
between the rosy views of existing eondi-
tions, commercial and industrial ON the
island, expressed by Governor Allen and
those which come from reputable newspaper
Il. H. al
Some sensational developments are
expected in connection with the swindling
of the government out of 81, 500, 600 by
Capt Oberlin NJ Carter, now serving five
year term in the Leayenworth Military
Prison, while he was in charge OF the
Harbor improvements at Savannah, Georgia.
An official of the department of Justice, is
quoted as having said "We have traced
every cent of the money stolen by Carter,
and at present / can only say that the
investigation will result in a number OF
arrests. We know where the money has
been hidden and invested, and it will soon
be turned over to the United States Treas
ury. | can also say that when Carter
serves out his time, he will be arrested on
criminal charges, but am not at liberty to
state at present the exact nature of these
charges"
Notwithstanding all the talk of deals
between the administration and the Panama
Canal Company, Representative Hepburn,
of Iowa, author of the Nicaragua Canal bill,
which passed the House, but failed in the
Senate of the last Congress, expresses
confidence that the next session of Con-
gress will authorize the construction of the
Nicaragua canal Mr.. Hepburn is a Re-
publican, but it was made plain more than
once during the late Congress that he was
not in the confidence of the Republican
bosses. Consequently his expression of
confidence, is not as convincing as it
might be.
The talk of Aguinaldo being allowed
mark. The administration has work for
Aguinaldo to do in the Philippines for
months to come, and it will see that he
stays there to do it, or refusing to do it,
that he stays locked up. There is no
junketing ahead of him for awhile.
Senator Simmons, of N. c., who was in
Washington several days on official business
says he was given to understand that the
cases against several North Carolinians who
have been indicted in the Federal Courts
for alleged violations of the election laws
last November, will shortly be abandoned
and nolle pressed, because of the opinion
of the prosecuting officers that the law will
not hold in the cases in question. Speak
ing of the rumor that ex-senator Butler, of
his State, Chairman of the Populist
National Committee, would be given a
Federal office, Senator Simmons said =
''Mr. Butler would probably be able to
advance some argument why this should
be done, for the Populist party in North
Carolina certainly contributed to the re-
election of President Mckinley as far as
was in their power. Mr.. Buffers own
county, where there are more Populists
than Democrats and Republicans combined,
gave Mr.. Mckinley a majority. It was
also true all over the State, that the
Populist to considerable extent voted the
ticket"
Arguing from the belief that the people
the government of this country
by trusts, when they reelected Mr.. Nc
Kinley, as Senator Hanna has several times
said they did, the choice of Mr..
P. c. Knox, who was grown rich by giving
legal advice to trusts, for Attorney General
in Mr.. McKinley's Cabinet was perfectly
logical one. But arguing from the belief
that one of the duties of the
Attorney General should be to utilize the
Federal laws such as they are, to try to
curb the power of the trusts, as the plain
people believe, it was about as illogical a
choice as could possibly have been made.
That Mr.. Knox is lawyer of marked
ability is proven by his having been en-
ployed by the trusts, but to expect him to
turn against those who have made him
rich, and from whom he doubtless expects
to get more fees, when he leaves the Cab
met, is to expect human nature to reverse
itself. He may not do anything directly
for the trusts while he is Attorney General,
but he will hardly be likely to do anything
directly against them or their interests.