Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-06-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

sOnce we get this Philippine bill out of
the way | will be able to give you some
definite information remarked Senator
Allison some time ago when l asked him of
the probable date of adjournment, but the
Senator is more at sea than ever now and
so is everyone else at the Capitol. Repre-
sentative Payne who, in his capacity of
Chairman Of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, should introduce the adjournment
resolution, assured me yesterday that he
had not even given the matter any thought,
and Representative Cannon stated that mo
one had the slightest idea when they would
get through" The fact is that the Re-
publicans are badly divided and there is
almost no prospect of harmony. The con-
sideration of the Philippine bill in the
House is a source of grave concern to the
party leaders, but the Cuban reciprocity
bill is causing even more anxiety.
Daily conferences are being held between
the administration Senators and the elk
ms boxers" as Senator Platt call the beet
sugar Senators, but nothing is accomplished
and the boxers assert that they will be
successful in the end. The President has
had nearly all of the recalcitrant Senators
at the White House and has used his most
strenuous arguments on them without
avail. Now he talks Of sending a special
message to Congress urging concessions to
Cuba. He characterizes his opponents as
obstinate to the last degree" and they
say that the President will learn that they
''are not to be bulldozed." What the end
will be no man can say, but one result is
certain, and that is that Mr.. Roosevelt is
rapidly losing any influence he may have
had as party leader in Congress, and the
Democrats are going to gain by his persis-
tence, and by the subservient allegiance to
Mr.. Oxnard which his opponents are dis
playing.
The Republican leaders in the House are
meeting with unexpected resistance to their
wishes in regard to the Philippine bill. 1t
had been their intention to report rule
which would compel the adoption, with
comparatively little debate, of the Lodge
bill in place of the bill framed by the Insu-
lar Committee, but those representatives
who became awakened to a realization OF
their power by the beet sugar revolt have
given notice that they do not intend to be
coerced, and the leaders are none too conf
dent of their strength. The Speaker has
set the consideration of the Philippine bill
for June Is, in hope that the lateness OF
the date will make the majority more SUI
pine as result of their anxiety to adjourn,
but there are number of members who,
having once felt their power, propose to
exercise it, The House bill is by no means
as autocratic in its provisions as the Senate
measure. 1t provides for Philippine Con
gress, the upper house to consist practically
of the Philippine Commission, and the
lower house to be elected by the people ;
whereas the Senate bill, as I have before
pointed out, simply continues the present
autocracy of the President. The House
bill also provides for the establishment of a
gold basis for the currency of the islands,
whereas the Senate measure continues and
extends the currency on silver basis. The
differences in the House bill have strong
advocates, and it is doubtful if they will
yield even to the scourging of the party
whip.
During the final hours of the Philippine
debate in the Senate, Senator Culberson
presented some official papers, the most
important being the letter of private SOL
dier, Andrew X. Weir, formulating charges
against one Lieutenant Arnold. This
letter had reached the War Department a
year age, and there had followed an investi-
CATION which resulted in report from
Captain P W. West, who stated that "a
thorough investigation would substantlate
Weir's charges, 4" that Arnold had at least
condoned cruel and inhumane treatment of
prisoners. On receipt of Captain Vests
report, General Miles recommended that
Arnold be COurt-martialed, but evidently
his recommendation was ignored for moth
ing further TRANSFERRED until the 22d OF
May, when Senator Culberson introduced a
resolution calling on the Secretary OF War
for copy of Weir's charges. This resolu-
ton resulted in the announcement that
Arnold had been ordered before a court
martial, after having continued in the
exercise of his official authority for full
year after the filing of Weir's charges.
Why Secretary Root had failed to act on
General Miles recommendation, and court
martial Arnold, is not disclosed.
There is, however, sequel to the tale.
Senator Culberson, by some unknown
means, secured copy of Weir's charges,
Vests report and Miles recommendation
and read them in the Senate on June 2.
Root is, of course, intensely angry at this
exposure of the workings of his depart
ment, and is conducting an investigation
to ascertain how copies of these papers
were obtained, and Senator Beveridge, by
a remark which he considered be had best
have eliminated from the Congressional
Record, directly implicated General Miles
by asking Culberson if he obtained the
papers from Miles. Culberson denied that
he had done so, but it is known that every
effort is being made by Root to implicate
Miles and if he succeeds, the President
will doubtless Immediately retire the
General. 1t may be that such Star-chamber
proceedings are necessary coneomitants Of
an imperialistic policy, but the suppression
of the facts the ignoring of the General
Commanding the Army and the failure TIC
act on the confirmed charges of brutality
and inhumanity against an army officer will
inevitably incense the people and disgust
them with the present administration Of
| the War Department.
The past week in the Senate has been
devoted to the consideration of the Nicara-
guam canal bill and in the House to the
discussion of the bill for the protection OF
the President The latter will be followed
by Representative Lacey's bill, transferring
the custody of the Forest Reserves from the
Department of the Interior to the Depart
ment of Agriculture, and it is expected
that it will be followed by the Irrigation
bill. which has already passed the Senate