Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-05-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.


From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, May p, 1901.
There is Republican revolt against the
Panama tainted Hanna-program for the
administration on the Isthmian Canal ques
ton, that, with the assistance of Demo
Gratis, led by Senator Morgan, will KNOCK
out the Panama lobby, if it has the strength
Republicans of prominence say it has
According to the talk in eminent Republi
can circles, in Washington, the revolt has
been thoroughly planned, and it includes
the making of Senator Lodge, stauncf
advocate Of the Nicaragua route for the
canal, Chairman OF the Senate Committee
on Foreign Relations, "a position upon which
precedent gives Senators Frye and Cullon
prior claims. 1t will be easy enough tt
dispose Of Frye's claim, as he is president
protein of the Senate and is, besides,
| anxious to give much of his time, during
the next session, to pushing new ShiE
Subsidy bill; but Cullom will not be SC
easy to push aside, as he would like tt
have the honor Of being at the head of the
Committee on Foreign Relations. How
ever, the Republican steering committee
if controlled as claimed by the revolters
can probably persuade him that hi
would better hold on to the Craftsmanship
of the Interstate Commerce Committee
and voluntarily relinquish his claim
With Lodge at the head of the Foreign
| Relations Committee, resolution declar
| ing the Clayton Bulwer treaty abrogated i:
| to be reported and at once brought to q
vote in the Senate. With the adoption o.
that resolution, the Panama scheme would
receive its death blow The most interest
ing thing about this revolt is the claim Of
| its promoters that Mr. Mckinley is il
secret sympathy with its object, and wishes
to see Congress take the action that will, in
addition to killing the Panama job, force
the hand Of Great Britain, and show to the
| world that the Isthmian Canal is going tc
be a strictly American institution from
start to finish.
If the members of the Naval Board Of
Awards wish to increase the number Of
those who believe official history to consist
largely of plain everyday lying, done to
boost the record OF the whilom fayorites Of
the powers that be- they are ON the right
track, but if Mr.. Mckinley and Secretary
Long wish to do so, either can head off the
perpetuation of' a historic lie by this Board
No official announcement Of that fact has
yet been made, but among naval officers it
is understood that the Board has decided
that the head of Rear Admiral Sampson
shall appear upon one side of the official
medal to be presented to the officers and
sailors who participated in the destruction
of the Spanish fleet off Santiago, Cuba,
thus sending him down to posterity as a
participant in that battle, which he had nc
more, personally, to do with, than Mr..
M i,aIa did mill oftor bo hot hoI
been fought and won. 1t would only be
common decency to call this Board down,
and if neither Secretary Long nor Mr.. Nc
Kinley will do it, Congress may conclude
to take hand in the game.
An amusing scene took place in the
Washington police court, in connection
with the arraignment of negro for the
theft of game rooster. The prisoner said:
''Jedge, jes' seen dat chicken on de side
walk, an de chicken acted kinder friendly.
I'se fond OBJ game chickens wherever l sees
dem, an l had dat chicken in my arms
rubbing it down an admirin' it when dis
heah policeman come up an SEE, 'Wher did
you get that chieken?' Den he run me in.
had no mo- 'tention oh takin' dat chicken
dan a saint in heben." The Judge accepted
the plea, but in discharging the prisoner,
amid the grins of those present, he said: 81
would advise you the next time you meet a
chicken to take the other side Of the street. y
How soldiers, even those of the regular
army, regard service in the Philippines is
Enthusiastically shown by bit of official cor
respondence just made public by the War
Department. A number of regulars, now
in the Philippines, whose terms of enlist
ment will shortly EXPIRE informed their
officers that they would re-enlist, if assured
that they would be allowed to return to the
U. S. when the organizations to which they
belong were ordered home, and that as
surance has been given in a letter from the
Adiutant Generals office, showing that the
War Department has full knowledge of the
discomfort Of the men with service in the
Philippines.
Aguinaldo has been promised by Gen.
Macarthur that he would be allowed to
visit the United States in the Fall if the
War Department did not object. The War
Department Will take the matter under
consideration, and conditions i'll the Philip
pines viii determine its final action.
Ex-senator Mitchell, of Wisconsin, who
has just returned from a soiourn of two
years in Europe, has not changed his mind
against annexation of foreign territory. He
said: II am as thoroughly opposed as ever
to annexing people without their consent.
l do not find such power given specifically
in the Constitution, and without the power
specifically indicated, | do not think we
can do it. In addition to that l do not see
either political or business sense in annex
ing the Philippine islands,