Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1901-03-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular Correspondent

(From our Regular Correspondent
Washington, March 4.-Ye s, the sec
md inauguration of Mr.. Mckinley was
certainly carried through on an I'M
oerial scale. AS in ancient Rome, the
oeople are amused with gorgeous pag
eants. while they are losing their most
precious possession liberty. 1t was
fitting. perhaps, that man who had
lust been given by subserVient par
tisan majority in Congress more auto.
cratic power than was ever possessed |
nv any American President, and more |
than many kings are allowed to exer-
else. should be given an imperial lnau-
guration. 1t was also in keeping with
the public extravaganza which mas
grown to such stupendous magnitude
under his first administration as to
stagger and frighten the conservative
element of the country, that more pup
lie money should bespent upon his Sec
ond Inauguration than Was ever spent
upon the inauguration OF any otner
President. just how much this lnau-
guration has cost the public treasury
will never be known, but that 1t IS an
enormous sum anyone can see. -Four
companies of Porto Rican troops were
brought all the way to Washington to
march in the Imperial parade, sam
pies of Colonial subjects, as it wereW
likewise the cadets from West Polnt
and Annapolis, who had not parSlclpat-
ed in an ina ugural parade, since Grant 9
second, before, and the regular troops
from every military post III reach. LII
addition to these, seven Warshlps were
brought near enough to nave their
entire crews in the parade. All OF This
cost heap of money, to which must
be added the $50, 600, which the use OF
the Pension office for the Inaugural
ball, cost the Government. Like tne
legislation of the Fifty sixth Congress,
now happily dead, the second lnau-
guration sOf Mr.. Mckinley was CON
Quoted, regardless of expense, ana the
dear people must pay the expense OIL
| both.
Some wag started the report that
two Colorado performing bears Cnau
we're carried in the inaugural parade
| by fool election better, were GapIuf-
ed by Teddy during his recent hunt-
sing trip, and all along the line was
constantly heard: Here comes Ted
Idy's BEARS" Mr.. Roosevelt is said TO
have been made quite angry by the
story and especially by the continued
public reference to 1t.
| Every democrat in the House and
four republicans, Doud of California,
Mccall, of Mass, Mann, of Illinois,
and Driscoll, of New York. voted
against the army appropriation Dill,
which was railr0aded through House
because of the Senate amendment,
making Mr.. Mckinley Gar of the
PHILIPPINES, and Mr.. Cooger, OF WIS.,
consin. Chairman of the Committee
on Insular Affairs declined to vote al
all. Democrats made the most Of
their small opportunity to condemn
the Philippine legislation. Mr.. De
Armoud, of Missouri, said OF the re
publican policy: They shrink from
discussion, even for an hour OF Two
and rush bllndly along the pathway OF
Imperialism; they spit upon the honor
and pledge of the U. s., by trades
bargains, and cOnniVance the rights Oh
ten million people in the Philippines
are to be frittered away. l commend
to the tyrants here the plumber they
will get. For myself, l stand true tt
my conception of duty, and l condemn
the infamy they are perpetuatlng.
Mr.. Hull, of Iowa, Chairman Of the
House Military Committee was Jeerec
by the Democrats when he acknowl
lodged his connection with Philippine
land and lumber company.
True to his declared intention of put
ting the Senate on record, Senator
; Morgan, offered his Nicaragua Cana
resolution, providing OF acquiring TIT
: right of way as an amendment to th'
Sandry Civil Appropriation bill. L
was killed, as ne expected it to be. 'Lh'
vote was 36 to Is to sustain the chair 4
ruling that the amendment was not II
, order. Thus ended the dlsreputabl'
though successful fight to proven
Nicaragua Canal legislation, which il
overwhelmingly favored by the peopl
of this county, and which the Repub
: licans pretend to favor to the exten
of having had bill passed by thu
House before the Presidential election
Senator Morgan cannot be blamed TO
) having asked to be relieved of the du
| ties of Chairman of the Committee Of
inter ocean canals and he never spok
truer words than when he said: ''Th
Republicans are not friends of TIL
, canal and they know it,"
Mr.. Mckinley didn't like the Hoa
, amendment to the Philippine amend
ment to the Army Appropriation bill
which heads off much contemplated
looting by preventing the granting o
long time franchises and the dispose
, of public lands in the islands, but b
did not dare to veto the bill on accoun
of the amendment, as that would hav
been dead give away, showing hi
! disappointment because the whole loot
ing programme could not be carrie,
out.
The Senate Cuban investigation COS
about SIS, 900, and amounted to moth
ing. The report of the COMMITTEE
says further investigation is unneces
sary, because the frauds are now be
ing handled by the Cuban Courts. l
is understand that several prominen
Republicans felt very much relieved
when the report was announced, owing
to their knowledge that any real inves
tigation would make things very IN
pleasant to them.
| Democrats have no reason to com
plain when the work of the Fifty SIKH
Congress, which ended just before nool
} today, is studied. Being the minorit.
party they could not prevent extrava
CANT appropriation, but they did pre-
vent the putting through the most ex
travaqan5 single piece of legislation
proposed-the ship subsidy bill jus
as they compelled the Republicans t,
abandon the scheme to kill the reduc
ing war taxes, both OF which weresub
stantlal victories for the minority.
| .