The age-herald., 1902-03-23
MED BRACE TALKS ABOUT WASHINGTON AS HE FOUND TIT ON A VISIT LAST WEEK

affairs to know whether Miles Is right OF wrong, but it is very evident the old gem tleman thinks himself the whole thing and that President Roosevelt and secre- tary Root do not agree with him. The friends of the President and of the Secre- tary of War are of the opinion that Miles has a well-developed case of tha big head, or else that his mental uuaiif,- cations are somewhat unbalanced, and if seems to be the purpose of the President to retire General Miles in the very near future, although he will not reach the age of retirement for something like a year and half.
 Miles has had rather a hard time of 1t since he has been commanding general of the army, and it now seems that ow- ing to the fact that he has seen fit to ex- press himself on public affairs bearing both upon the army and the navy that his candle of power is to be peremptorily snnffed out
 By the way, there has been. nice lit- tie row in the Alabama delegation over the River and Harbor bill Burnett. Wiley, Thompson and Bowie have been making a vigorous fight for large ap- propriation for the Coosa river. Bank head and Underwood made an equally vigorous fight for a large appropriation for the Warrior river. Bankhead and Underwood got the appropriation they asked for for the Warrior river. They naturally put that river first. They then endeavored to aid the other mem- bers to get what they wanted for the Coosa. The other members, however, rather claim that Bankhead and Under wood, being on the inside, so to speak, got what they wanted first and then the committee did not have anything left for the Coosa. The Coosa river people do not, however, put the full burden of their loss on Bankhead and Underwood. Bankhead and Underwood voted for their amendment in the House. But the Coosa river congressman are extremely indig- nant at Chairman Burton of the River and Harbor committee and at the engi- neering corps. They are prepared through the Alabama senators to make a vicious fight in the Senate for a liberal .appro- priation for the Coosa river. It looks, however, as though they have but little chance owing to the fact that extremely large appropriations were made for the Warrior, the Tennessee and for Mobile harbor. There is a bit of friction in the Alabama delegation just at present owing to this contest, but it is merely tempor- ary and perhaps in the next Congress the Coosa river will be well provided for.
 Senator Morgan is still vigorously push ing Nicaragua canal legislation, and the indications in Washington just at this time are that the Senate will pass the Nicaragua canal bill rather than the Panama bill As near as the Senate can be boiled the indications are that there will be four or five majority in favor of the Nicaragua bill. The Panama peo- pie are, however, fighting vigorously and it may be that they can delay legislation until the closing days of this Congress.
 
 Senator Mark Hanna has played in bad luck with his shipping subsidy bill He amended it repeatedly at the suggestion of Senators Allison and Deliver of Iowa. ct when the final vote came in the Sen ate both Allison and Deliver and four other Republican Senators voted against the Ohioan's pet bill. f'
 Now, Alison is the power and controll- ing factor in the Republican party in Iowa. Speaker Henderson of the House is from Iowa. He has never been ardent in his advocacy of the shipping subsidy bill. It is said in Washington that Speak CT Henderson is against the bill If that be the case the chances in favor of the shipping subsidy bill passing the House are but slight.
 As a matter of fact, the Republican party in Congress Is very much divided on many public questions and 1t appears that before this Congress adjourns the Republicans will be more divided
 In the meantime the Democrats are ex- ceedingly jubilant over the prospects of electing a Democratic majority to the next House of Representatives in the elections to be held this fall and are strongly hopeful of electing the Presi- dent two years hence.
 AeJ R,oz2~: