The Opelousas courier., 1901-04-06

for Funston, and Secretary Root
made sneering remarks about yel-
low soldering and circus business
in the army, and ended by saying
he was opposed to making Funston
a brigadier general of the regulars.
Adjutant General Corbin mar
shaled the 'pull" Of the regular
army officers that will be jumped by
Funston's promotion to try to head
oft the appointment, and failing in
that, to try to have it knocked out
in the Senate. Meanwhile McKin-
ley had his ears to the ground. He
heard the public demand that Fun
ston be made o Brigadier for cap
turing Aguinaldo, and he proceeded
to do it, considering it wiser to
brave the onslaught of the army
"push" than to refuse to bend to
public opinion, even though that
public opinion might be of the hys-
terical sort, which would shortly be-
come Indifferent to its present idol.
That disposed of the Funston white
elephant. Aguinaldo will be more
difficult to dispose of. His case is
talked over at every cabinet meet
ing, but no sort of an agreement
has yet been reached as to what
will be done with him.
Those having fat army contracts
as we'll as those who are after COM
missions III the army, are becoming
alarmed. They fear that the cap
ture of Aguinaldo and the reported
surrender Of many Of his officers
and men will arouse public opinion
in this country to such and extent
that the administration will have to
stop recruiting for the army before
the 1OO,O 900 men authorized by Con-
gress have been enlisted, which
would lessen the profits of the con-
tractors and lessen the number of
commissions to be issued. That it
would also lessen the enormous ex-
pense of this government they care
nothing about. They belong'to the
class Of ''patriots" who care nothing
forthe burdens of TIE people so
long as they are being personally
benefited. It is said that friends
of these sharks who are in the Phil
ippines, have been warned by cable
to do everything in their power to
prevent the reports being sent to
Washington being too peacable un-
til the army has been recruited up
to the limit. Then they won't care,
as there will be no way of reducing
the army, except through natural
causes, until the expiration of en-
listments. It mas been given out
at the White House that the army
will not be recruited to the full au-
thorized strength, if the reports
from the Philippines justify a cur
tailment.
Mr.. Eugene Earl, whose position
as a popular hotel proprietor of the
metropolis, enables him to get
very fair idea of the drift of politi-
cal currents, is in Washington.
Speaking of home politics, he said:
tsTammany will, | think, do the
wise thing and nominate for mayor
some strong man who will be ac-
ceptable to the entire Democracy
and to the bulk of the voters of New
York. The present reform wave
that is sweeping over the town will
have spent its force before election
day, and as an issue will be prac-
tically extinct. The trouble with the
reformers is that they cherish the
delusion. that they can suppress
vice in the metropolis, while sensi-
BILE people recognize the fact that
vice in a great city cannot be Grad
icated, and are content to have it
regulated"
Some idea of how this govern
ment was robbed in the purchase of
vessels at the outbreak of the wal
with Spain may be gathered from
the fact that the transport Terry,
for which $4,000 was paid, has
lust been advertised for sale at an
upset price. of $4,000, and not a
single bid was received. When
bought by the government, this
steamer was an old excursion boat
on Long Island Sound, under the
name of Hartford.