The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-04-18
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.

WdoliliStOH, Ap1ll IStn 1901.
Did Aginaldo bargain for his
own capture, for a price, and have
the American people been made
the victims of a colossal official
bunco? That is startling question
but circumstances have caused it
to be asked in Washington, since
the cable news reported Aguinaldo
to be buying diamonds and 1ewelry
and it is dec dedly pertinent, too.
Diamonds cost money, and if
Aguinaldo has been buying them,
where did he get the money? ANY
money that was found at his head
quarters when he was captured
would, if usual methods were fol-
lowed, have been confscated as
contraband of war and turned over
to the Uncle Sam Military authori-
ties, who would have turned it in
to the United States Treasury.
None of the many detailed state
ments of Aguinaldo's capture have
said anything about the cap
ture of any money, yet it is pre-
sumably certain that he had some.
All these things, and more, have
been talked about in connection
with Aguinaldo's purchase of dia-
monds. 1t may be all straight,
but as one high army officer who
was in the Philippines until recently,
put it: There seems ample ground
for the suspicion that there has
been something doing between
Aguinaldo and the men who handle
the secret service funds of this gov
ernment in the Philippines" The
same officer said 1T would not
surprise me at all that the Filipino
who was supposed to have betrayed
Aguinaldo was acting under that
willy chaps orders all the time, and
that the capture was all carefully
arranged in advance by Aguinaldo."
| If it be possible to get square
| deal with the administration, in
rivalry with the Morgan Steel
Trust, the latter may find itself
knocked out of several million
dollars of government money. The
| Carbon Steel Company, of Pitts
burg. has sent samples of heavy
armor plate to the Naval Ordinance
proving grounds, below Washing
ton, with the request that it be sub
ljected to the severest tests. This
armor plate was made by an entirely
new process and it is claimed 10 be
in every way as good, if not super
ior, to the armor plate which the
government is paying the Morgan
steel trust S455 ton for, and it is
offered for $3.50 ton. If the tests
substautiate that claim, and the
government buys the new armor it
will save something like $500 900
on each of the nine battleships now
under contract. But when the pull
OF the Morgan trust is taken into
consideration that "if" is formid-
able one, ard it is certain that the
big trust will not let more than
| 81 900, 900 get away from it ifthere
is any way to prevent. So it will
not be surprising if the tests Of the
new armor plate should be followed
| by an unfavorable report, although
it is said to have stood every test
required before samples were sub
mitted to the government.
| Although the legislature that
will choose his successor will not
| be elected until next year, Senator
bill" Mason is already actively
at work to be his own successor
He thinks he put in some good
| licks last week, when number of
Illinois men were in Washington
to attend the unveiling of the
equestrian statue of Gen. John A.
Logan. Last week it was generally
understood that Mr. Charles Dawes
was to be the Mckinley candidate
for Senator, but that was when
Senator Mason and President Nc
Kiuley were on the outs. Now
Senator Mason sings President Nc
Kinley's praises everywhere, and
when asked whether the Mckinley
influence will be used against his
reelection, smiles in a knowing
and satisfactory way and says he
guesses not. Illinois Democrats
, who have recently been in Wash
ington have not been disposed to dc
any blowing, but most of them be-
lieve that there is an excellent
fighting chance to elect legisla.
r ture that will send a Democrat tc
. succeed Mason, and say that they
: are going to try hard to do it.
A Washington man who has JUS
returned from the Philippines
| where he spent a year, doesn't EN-