The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-08-08
WASHINGTON.
n our Regular Correspondent.


step toward putting stop to an il
legal practice on the part of army
officers in the Philippines, who handle
government money, how long will it
take to stop the practicep That is the
conundrum suggested by Secretary
Roots request that the heads of
bureaus in the War Department sub
init suggestions as to the best way OF
relieving the responsibility of officers
who handle public money in the
Philippines, and what ought to be
done about those officers who have
been and are violating army regula-
tions and making themselves liable to
court-martial by depositing public
funds IN foreign banks, instead of tax
ing the chance Of keeping it in their
possession. Three years ago the at.
tention of the Secretary of War was
called to this matter, and Congress
had dab at it, but did not improve
the situation. 1t authorized the de-
post of U. S. funds in banks In China
and elsewhere, provided the banks so
designated would deposit U. S. bonds
with the Treasury Department to the
value of the deposits. A number of
banks were designated as repositories
of public funds under that act, but
every one OF them refused to buy and
deposit U. S. bonds. This left the
officers of the Paymaster's Department
the choice between violating both law
and army regulations and keeping the
money near them and taking the
chances OF having it stolen. Most of
them chose the first and recent re-
port from one officer shows that he
has more than 100000 in a Hong
Kong bank. Another officer, who
was among the few who chose the
last, was recently robbed of $40, 900,
which he had in small safe and of
which no trace has since been found.
Surely it was high time that the War
Department took the matter up. 1t is
true that nothing can be done to re-
lleve the situation except through an
act of Congress, but it is also true that
the War Department should point out
to Congress what ought to be done,
in order that the failure of the last
legislation on the subject shall not be
repeated.
One by one the stories of the means
by which fabulous wealth was to be
obtained from the Philippines are
being swept away as actual knowledge
is gained. One of the most reason
able of these stories concerned the
great forests of fine woods on the is
lands that American makers of fine
furniture would gladly pay fortunes
for. This is the way that story, with
all its variations was punctured by a
U. S. government forestry expert
Capt. G.. P. Ahern-who has Just re-
turned from the Philippines: GA mis-
taken idea prevails in the U. S. that
most of the Philippine timber is of
varities very valuable for cabinet
making. There are seven or eight
varieties which take fine finish, but
apart from those none of the native
woods are likely to find their way to
the U. S."
Intelligent observers just from Cuba
report business in bad way all over
the island, owing to the uncertainty
of the future. Merchants are afraid
to invest any more capital until they
know more about what the Cuban
government is to be, and they are un-
usually careful in selling goods on
credit. The worst part of the bust
ness is that there is no hope for any
change for the better in the near
future, as the shortest estimate of the
time that will be required to establish
a Cuban government is eight months
from the date upon which Gen. Wood
issues the orders for holding the two
elections that will be necessary, and
Gen. Wood is now in this country, or
rather IN the waters adjacent thereto
on board government vessel, which
he is using as his private yacht, and
the orders will not be issued until he
returns to Havana, which he says will
be in about three weeks.
Agents of Hawaiian sugar planters
are in Washington trying to find out
if they can legally import Filipinos or
Chinese from the Philippines to work
on their plantations. They attempted,
through third parties, to get an opinion
from the Commissioner General of
immigration on the matter, but he de-
clined to express one, saying that it
was not his business to decide ques-
tions until they came before him off,
cially. He did, however, incidentally
express the opinion that if the Hawai-
ian sugar planters would pay sufficient
wages they could get all the laborers
they wanted, from the Southern States