Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1901-02-13
WASHINGTON Letter


the revenue reduction bill, are putting
the screws on the fllibustering OBJ
ponents of the ship subsidy bill. This
D week the senate began holding night
sessions, and more than a quorum of
Republican senators have pledged
themselves to regularly attend them
; as long as it may be necessary to- bring
the bill to a vote. There are already
signs of weakening in the ranks of the
opposition, and several propositions
have been submitted to the Republi-
cans looking toward an agreement for
vote. Some of the Southern sema-
tors have had their eyes opened by
petitions from influential commercial
bodies and personal appeals from
prominent Southern business men,
asking that the shipping bill be passed
To let themselves down easy. sons
Southern senators have expressed 4
willingness to support the bill if the
amendment offered by Senator Clay,
of Georgia, providing for the construc-
ton of the Nicaragua canal, be az
cepted by the Republicans. AS tae
Republicans are rs strongly in favor
of the Nicaragua canal as they are of
the shipping BILL if this proposition
be serious one, and not merely
bluff, the combination and early pUs-
sage of the two bills is probable.
Not even IN the first days of his aa-
ministration did President Mckinley
have as many congressional callers as
| he had this week The cause is the
| desire of senators and representatives.
regardless of party, to secure the
| smaller commissions in the reorgan-
| lied army for constituents. While sIl
this means a lot of hard work for the
president, he is much gratihed that
his recent statement that these com
missions should go as far as possible
to men VINO have seen service with the
volunteers has been so generally ,ac-
copied, and that 80 few requests are
being made to him TO give these COM
missions to young men who hare seen
no military service.
Secretary Gage having informed the
house committee having charge Of the
| matter that he had received satisfac-
| tory evidence that the Louisiana Pur-
chase Exposition company had raised
the so, 900, 900 required as pre-re-
| qrisite to government AID. the bill APP
pro oriating So 900, 900 for the exposi-
ton to be held at ST. Louis. has been
| favorably reported to the house, and
viii be passed.
| T3ving no leader of their own that
they We're willing to follow. the Demo
| cratic senators have taken the extra
ordinary course of going outside of
the senate for man to lead their
fight against the ship subsidy bill. and
the man they have set up for their
leader is ex-senator German, who has
been in charge all this week. What
ever the effect of this move may be on
the fate of the ship subsidy bill, and
| it is likely to be important, it should
Cleveland and other would-be Demo-
cratic leaders in, 1904.
Naturally, there is much talk about
the nominations of general officers of
the army sent to the senate by Presi-
dent Mckinley this week, and some
dissatisfaction among the friends Of
some officers whose names were not in
the list and those OF some who were in
t. lisf but not in the part OF it their
srionds thought they ought to be but
; Ii is admitted by those who are en-
!, ti"ely unprecedented that the list is as
fair one as could have been made
out. 1t was made up not on the
presidents Judgment alone, but by
the unanimous Judgment of his cabinet.
1t is utterly unfair to criticise the
jumping of Captains Leonard Wood
and j. Franklin Bell, both of whom
were made brigadief generals, over
other officers, as both of them have
performed distinguished services, the
former in Cuba, of which he is now
military governor and the latter lin
the Philippines, where he is serving
as a brigadier general Of volunteers.
Ii there were no jumping in promo
tions, there would be no way to reward
the junior officers of the army for
meritorious actions.
General E. S. Otis, who is in Wash
ington said on existing conditions in
the Philippines: ''People in the
United States are inclined to believe
that little Roadway is being made to-
ward suppressing the insurrection, but
to one who has been on the ground
and is familiar with the situation, it is
plainly apparent that the progress is
steady and sure. That such and such
a town has been occupied by the
American forces may not mean much
to the layman, but in the general
scheme of pacifcation it may be full of
significance, From the reports of the
military authorities, / cannot see but
that all that could be expected is be-
ing done. There has been no check
in the plans mapped out by the Ameri-
can authorities. The trouble is that
the people at home are not able to
comprehend how tedious task it is
to extend our control over all the
!; islands, -
The senate amended the Military
academy appropriation bill, which it
passed this week, by providing for the