The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-08-30
FROM THE CAPITAL.
Our Correspondent Talks in
General About Wash
ington.
WASHINGTON,
(Communicated),


Rear Admiral Schley no longer
has the slightest doubt that the
whole official power of the Navy
Department is being used against
him. His letter protesting against
Hackett's action in constituting
his request that a copy of an OBJ
jectiOnable newspaper interview
with Rear Admiral HowisOn be
forwarded to that officer, in order
to give him an opportunity to say
whether he was correctly report
ed, into a challenge of HOwison's
right to sit on the court was manly
and straightforward and must
have made Hackett feel as small as
most unprejudiced persons think
he is, but it did not change his
ruling. There seems very little
doubt that Howison did use the
language quoted = the reporter
swears that he did-and that he
was selected as a member of the
Court of Inquiry by Hackett with
the full knowledge that he was a
Sampson partisan. That is why
Hackett did not wish to ask him
about the interview. These men
are playing with fire and are
smirching the good name of the
American Navy as whole as it
was never Smirched before, and
all for the daStardly and cowardly
purpose of running as brave a man
! as ever commanded ship. But
there is day of reckoning ahead.
1t will take place before the Court
Of Inquiry, if there be fair play
aud if the officers who sit on that
court have the moral courage to
do their duty, regardless of the
wishes of the clique that is now
running the Navy Department; if
not, the fight will be transferred
to the halls of Congress, and if
the power of the administration
over a partisan majority be
strong enough to prevent justice
there, the case will then be taken
before the highest court we know
in this Countrywide people-and
then it will be settled right.
The War Department has given
out a carefully prepared state.
ment comparing the imports and
exports of the Philippines Is
lands for the seven months end
ing January 81, 1901, with the
same period year previous.
This statement is intended, of
course, to show that United
States ownership and control
of the islands is benefitting our
trade, but a careful study of the
figures presented brings out little
to encourage that idea. When the
number of American soldiers and
civilians on the islands is conSid
cred, the increase in the imports
from the United States from
SS90,01O to 81, 493, 4SS seems alb
surdly small, especially when the
increase during the same period
in imports from Europe was from
So, go. 766 to SS,974,1S3 In the
exports from the islands in the
United States makesa still poorer
showing, the later seven months
showing only 81, 477,6l1 against
50, 037, $50 the same seven months
of the previous year. What adds
to the aggravation of these fig.
ures is that exports to Europe
show an increase from 50, POI, 1858
to 1888, 751. Even admitting
that the commerce of the Phil.
ippines will in the course of time
become as great as the most san
guine predict, where will the ben
eft to United States commerce
come in, if Europe is to continue
to control the lions share of it.
And there seems to be no way to
shut the European out. The
treaty of Paris pledges the United
States to give equal commercial
privileges to all nations in the
Philippines. Those who think
that the Philippines will not cut
an important figure in our future
politics, should lose no time in
taking another hard think on the
subject.
In inside upper Republican cir
cles the tip has been passed
around within the last day or two
that Boss Platt has changed his
mind abont backing Governor
Odell for the Republican nomina
ton for President. The only rea.
son given is that there has been
another misunderstanding be-
tween the two men about local
| politics. 1t is not stated whether
Platt will throw the influence of
the State Republican machine to
another New York candidate or
to some man outside the State,
but there seems to be a thorough
understanding among the Repub-
leans that the State machine
will be against Roosevelt and
that Platt will not entertain any