The Elk Mountain pilot., 1902-05-20


to vote, but that they object to nam
ing day for vote until they are quite
certain that there is nothing more to
say pertinent to the subject.
The House committee on military af-
fairs has decided to disapprove the
proposition suggested by Secretary
Root of establishing four large military
concentration camps in different sec
| tions of the United States. Secretary
Root has been anxious to establish four
large permanent camps. one on the Pa
cific coast two east of the Mississippi
river and one in the Rocky mountain
region, where large bodies of troops
might be mobolized for field drills,
sham battles and other maneuvers.
The House committee maintains that
large camps are not desirable but ia
vors the creation of Il number of small
er camps, where troops from three or
four adjoining states may be mustered
for practice drills, and this plan may
be adopted.
Representative MondelI of Wyoming
has requested Speaker Henderson to
grant consideration of a bill which has
passed the Senate to ratify the treaty
with Grow Indians, whereby the In
dians accept certain lands in seVeralty,
and transfer the remaining land in the
! Grow reservation to the government for
public settlement. The bill was opposed
in the House at the last session of
Congress by Mr.. Mondell, because Wyo-
ming settlers, adjacent to the reserva-
tion, We're not fully protected in water
rights and privileges by the provisions
OF the bill. The measure pending gives
full recognition to these rights and Mr..
Mondell urgently favors its passage.
He believes the speaker will give the
friends of the measure an opportunity
to bring 1t up for passage before the
close of the session.
In discussing the naval appropriation
bill in the House. Mr.. Foss. chairman
of the naval committee, explained the
measure in detail. He said that while
we have lbs ships built and building,
vet comparatively few of them have
any real fighting value. Most of those
now building are what are termed
peace boats" Continuing, Mr.. Foss
said: Il know that there are some who
think that just because we whipped
Spain in n fight of n hundred days and
lost only a single life, we could wipe
out the navies of the world. There is
an impression that the American navy
is strong and powerful. Yes. II is. as
far as it goes. l believe we have bet
ter officers, better men, and that our
ships, ship for ship. are better than
those of any navy in the world. But
do not let us delude ourselves with the
thought that because we whipped Il lit
tie nation, which had only n little navy,
that, therefore. we can whip anything
that comes along"
In his testimony before the Senate
Philippine committee George G. Board
man, formerly of the Twentieth infan-
try. said that before the order of Gen.
Jacob II. Smith to kill and burn, the
soldiers of his company being in such
constant fear of massacre. would sud-
denly awake in their fright and ex-
claim, Get 'em, boys; get 'em." After
General Smith issued his order. he
said. the natives for the first time un-
derstood that the Americans meant
what they said. and the troops felt
safe. The difficulty. he said. was be
cause "A certain order by General
Otis for the killing of outlaws never
WAS executed and this made the natives
bold in their resistance. They all de-
plored the death of Luna. but hailed
with delight Aguinaldo's capture Wit
ness said that Filipino prisoners We're
treated too good, so much so that they
preferred to remain prisoners to being
sent back among their people. The
general course of conduct of Amerl-
can officers and men toward peaceful
Filipinos, he said. was humane. The
men. however. We're discouraged on ac-
count of the food they got and officers
would not object when the men were
hungry to their going into a house and
taking food "The whole tendency of
the army" said the witness, was TO
make the men anything but pleasant
toward the natives. They used the gun
to shoot rather than to preach the gos-
pei with" His orders were to treat
the Fllipinos kindly, but, he added,
war Is hell, and the boys are going to
give the F-ilipinos hell while war pre-
walls"
Following is the text OF the Presi-
dents special message to Congress in
relation to the Martinique disaster: To
the Senate and House of Representa-
tives: One of the greatest calamaties
in history has fallen upon our neigh
boring island of Martinique. The con
sui of the United States at Guadaloupe
has telegraphed from Fort De France
under date of yesterday, that the dis
aster is complete: that the city of St
| Pierre has ceased to exist, and that the
American consul and his family have
perished He is informed that 10000
people have lost their lives. and that
10000 are homeless and hungry; that
/ there is urgent need of all kind of pro-
! visions and that the visit of vessels
for the work of supply and rescue is
| imperatively required. The government
| of France while expressing their
/ thanks for the marks of sympathy
which have reached them from Amer
lea. inform us that Fort De France and
| the entire island of Martinique are still
| threatened. They therefore request
| that for the purpose of rescuing the
| people who are in such deadly peril