The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-01-24
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

sure, all Ills sOcldl engagements LOT a
week or two ahead have been can
celed. He shows no bad effects of his
wrestle with the grip.
Secretary Root is now haying a
turn with the grip, but his assistants
in the War Department are working
over time, so as to rush the enlist
ments under the Army Reorganiza-
ton bill, which is now in conference,
but is expected to become law dur
ing the present week. As there has
never been any doubt that the bill
would become law, all the arrange
ments have been made in advance as
far as possible.
The action of the Republican Sena-
tOrial caucus in deciding not to take
up the Nicaragua Canal bill until the
British government had signified its
intentions concerning the amended
Hay-Poncefote treaty, is regarded as
a delicate hint to the British govern
ment that the Senate would like to
know as soon as possible what it in
tends doing with the treaty. The
House, after passing the Postal Codi-
tication bill, will at once take up the
Naval Appropriation bill, which is
expected to be promptly passed, as
there are no features of the bill cal
culated to call for an extended debate.
Senator Hanna, who has very
creditable war record, although he
never mentions it in talking and has
not included it in his biography in
the Congressional Directory, has been
persuaded by Gen. Rassieur, co u
mander in chief of the &. A. r., who
has been in Washington lending his
aid to that Pension Committee of the
organization, to promise that he
would become a member of the &.
A. R.
Secretary Hitchcock is strong adj
vocate of Congressional legislation
for the irrigation of the arid lands of
the West. In a letter to the House
Committee on Public Lands the Sec
rotary urges the policy of public irri
CATION, taking the ground that vast
acreage, capable of supporting pop
ulation of fifty million people, should
not be allowed to remain a desert In
support of his argument he cited the
case of Egypt, which has in recent
years been practically redeemed from
a condition of bankruptcy by gen
eral system of irrigation.
\ single Republican Senator voted
against the Army Reorganization bill
Wellington, and he is not cOnsid-
cred Republican by his colleagues
while four Democrats-Li Lindsay, Nc
Laurin, Morgan and Sullivan-yoted
for it.
Senator Perkins seldom loses an OPP
portunity to back up his arguments
with a story. Here is one he told to
show why he opposed attempting to
prohibit the shipping of intoxicants
to the Philippines: When Alaska
was a prohibition territory every body
was engaged in smuggling. On every
ship that went up to Alaska the fire
men, engineers, walters and sailors
tried in every way to smuggle liquor.
| was the representative of a ship
that went up there and was wrecked.
She sank. We rescued the vessel and
among the goods saved were thirty
barrels that formerly contained sugar.
In twelve of the barrels there were
five gallon kegs of whiskey that had
been hidden in the sugar. The sugar
had melted but the whiskey was still
there
The Army Reorganization bill au,
thorizes the President to enlist not
exceeding twelve thousand natives OF
the Philippines for service in those
islands, and army officers think there
will be no trouble in getting as many
recruits among the natives as it may
be deemed advisable to enlist The
number is not likely to reach half Of
those authorized, for awhile at least
Senator Proctor, chairman of the
Committee on Agriculture, says the
Oleomargarine bill will be reported
to the Senate this week, and that he
will insist upon getting vote upor
it, if it be possible to do so, before tn,
end of the session.
Senator Aldrich, chairman of tn,
Finance Committee, disposed of al
the idle talk about the Revenue Re
duction bill being hung up in tina
committee when he said that the bill
would positively be reported to tn
Senate in few days, probably thi
week.
Senator Mcmillan, who has beel
classed by some newspapers as an op
ponent of the Ship Subsidy bill, whicl
is again the unfinished business of tn
Senate, thus defines his attitude to
ward the measure: II have been TO
the bill from the beginning and, il
connection with several Senators
urged certain amendments solely TO
the purpose of perfecting the measur
1o+o lie