The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1902-05-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., May 18th.

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MIR. ED1ToR:-"The bill reported by
the Philippine Committee is one of the
most Ubiquitous measures ever presented
to Congress of the United States" said
Senator Dubois, of Idaho, yesterday when
asked him his opinion of the bill itself.
"By the provisions of the bill commits
sion, composed of three men, is given the
most absolute powers over the Filipinos
and their lands. The edicts of the COM
mission will become laws unless they are
negatively acted upon by Congress, and,
even if Congress had the time, it would
be impossible for it to judge of these edicts
at this distance, 5000 miles away. These
three men can grant franchises to whom
ever they see fit and require in return for
the same such compensation or no COM
pensation as they choose. They can lease
land in immense tracts to corporations
for whatever rental they deire. They can
grant the privileges of cutting timber to
such corporations as they may choose to
befriend and on such terms as they may
be disposed to make. 1t is ridiculous to
say that the democrats are opposing step
towards the self government to which
they believe the Filipinos are entitled.
The democrats are doing all in their power
to save the Filipinos from being delivered
to an oligarcby which can sell them, body
and soul, from whose actions they have
no redress, from despotic government
in which they have absolutely no voice.
"a careful reading of the Philippine
bill will convince any intelligent person
that the Philippine Commission, should
the bill become law, would have powers
that are today possessed by no European
ruler save, perhaps, the Russian Gar.
There are in the Philippines millions of
acres of rich agricultural lands, more than
there is in the United States west of the
Missouri river, and the other resources Of
the islands are beyond computation, and
SO long as human nature remains human
nature the delegation of such plenipoten-
tiary power to commission composed Of
a few favored individuals is bound to re-
suit in corruption. 1t is folly to plead
the high character of the present commits
sion. Its members may all be dead in a
month. AS general proposition, it is
evident that the best men in the United
States are not going to forsake their homes
and their business interests and 60 to the
Philippines to administer the affairs of
the islands. The men who seek these
positions will be the usual class of place
hunters who regularly beseige the Presi-
dent for positions which carry handsome
salaries. The passage of this bill will in
evitably result in scandals from which
the fair name of the United States will
long suffer"
Out of respect to its deceased members
the House transacted no business on Mon
day or Tuesday and the passage of the
territorial bill practically concluded its
labors for the week. On Friday afternoon
the private pension calendar was cleared
and on Saturday eulogies were pronounced
on the late Representative Po'k, of Penn
sylvania, and the late Senator Kyle, of
South Dakota. This week the bill of
Representative Adams, so amending the
statutes as to permit of the granting of
passports to citizens of our insular pos
sessions, will be passed and will probably
be followed by the Naval appropriation
bill, which will doubtless occupy some
time. There is a provision in the bill, as
reported from the Committee on Naval
Affairs, whereby the Secretary of the Navy
is authorized at his discretion to build one
or more of the new battleships in govern
ment navy yards. This provision is APP
proved by the labor organizations, but is
opposed by the republican machine in the
House and in the Senate by Senators
Hanna and Mcmillan, who are stockhold-
ers of the Trust which now constructs the
naval vessels of the United States.
There has been prevalent in Congress a
grave suspicion that the affairs of the War
Department IN the Philippines have been
administered with lavish hand. The
figures disclosed by the voluminous docu
ments forwarded to the House in regard
to the Pacific transport service, and which
were elected from the Secretary of War
only by the most peremptory resolution,
Immediately led to the belief that similar
methods had been pursued in the Philip
pine and resolution was passed by the
Senate calling for information. To this
resolution Mr.. Root has replied that he
cannot furnish figures during this session
of Congress, because they are almost in
extricably involved with other statistics
of the department. If such is the case, it
is argued, the accounting methods of the
War Department must be sadly lacking in
system, but the more plausible eXplana-
ton and the one generally accepted, is
that the Secretary 1ealizes that the figures
will cast serious ref lection ON his party
and that he has, in view of the approach
ing elections, concluded to suppress them
for the present. His course is literally
even by the leaders of his own
party, who argue that the pubic soon for
gets but will not forgive bring kept in the
daiE.
All ,ast week in tho Senate WAS spent