Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1902-06-12

actsrizes bis oppdsentnas 'obssina
70 the La Segrse'' and hey -
that the President viii learn that
they ARE not 20 be bulldozed. =
What the end will be no man can
say but one result is certain and
that ii thAt Mr. Roosevelt il rapidly
losing any Influence he may have
had as party leader In Congress
and the democrats are going 70 gain
BY his persistence and by the sub
sssryient allegiance 20 Mr.. Oxnard
which his opponents are displaying.
-
The republican leaders in the
House are meeting with unexpected
resistance TO their wishes in regard
70 the Philippine bill. Il had been
their intention to report o rule
which would compel the adoption,
with comparatively little debate, Of
the Lodge bill in place Of the bill
framed by the Insular committee
but those Representatives who be-
came awakened to realization OF
their power by the beet sugar re-
volt have given notice that they do
not intend TO be coerced and the
leaders are none too confident Of
their own strength. The Speaker
has set the consideration Of the
Philippine bill for June 18TH, in
hope that the lateness Of the date
will make the majority more supine
as result of their anxiety 10 adj
iourn, but there are q number Of
members who, having once felt their
power, propose 10 exercise il. The
House bin is by no means as auto
cratic in its provisions as the Senate
measure. Itprevides for q Philip
pine congress, the upper house 70
consist practically of the Philippine
Commission and the lower house TO
be elected by the people; whereas
the Senate bill, as l have before
pointed out, simply continues the
present autocracy OF the President.
The House bill also provides for the
establishment of o gold basis for the
currency OF the islands, whereas
the Senate measure continues and
extends the currency on q silver
basis. The differences in the House
bill have strong advocates and Il is
doubtful IL they will yield even to
the scourging of the party whip.
-.
During the final hours of the Phil
ippine debate in the Senate, Sena-
tor Culberson presented some off,
cial papers, the most important be-
ingtbe letter of a private soldier, An
drew X. Weir, formulating charges
against one Lieutenant Arnold.
This letter had reached the War
Department a year ago, and there
had followed an investigation which
resulted in report from Capt. p.
w. West, who stated that "a thorough
investigation would substantiate
Weir's charges, that Arnold had
at least condoned cruel and inhuman
treatment of prisoners. On receipt
of Capt. Vests report. General Miles
recommended that Arnold be court
marshalled but evidently his recon-
mendation was ignored for nothing
further transpired until the 22nd. /,
of May when Senator Culberson in
troduced resolution calling on the
Secretary of Warrior copy OF Weir 8
charges. This resolution resulted
in the announcement that Arnold
had been ordered before acourt-mar
shall, after having continued in the
exercise of his Official authority for
q full year after the fling of Weir's
charges. Why Secretary Root had
failed to act on General Miles rec
omendation and court-marshall Ar
mold is not disclosed.
There is, however, sequel to the
tale. Senator Culberson, by some
unknown means, secured q copy of
Weir's charges, Vests report and
Miles recommendation and read
them in the Senate on June End.
Root is OF course, intensely angry
at this exposure of the workings Of
his department and is conducting
an investigation to ascertain how
copies of these papers were obtain
ed and Senator Beveridge, by q re-
mark which he considered he had
best have eliminated from the Con-
gressional Record, directly impli-
Gated General Miles by asking Gull
berson If he obtained the papers
from Miles. Culberson denied that
he had done SO but il is known that
every effort is being made by Root
to implicate Miles and ifhe succeeds
the President viii doubtless retire
the General. It may be that such
Star-chamber proceedings are nee
essary concomitanis Of an imperial
istic policy but the suppression of
the facts, the ignoring of the Gener-
al Commanding the Army and the