The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1902-03-21
WHOLESALE JUNKETING.
Trips to the Philippines as Free
as Water-High Officials go
in Search of Information and
Nothing Has Been Done
Secretary Root to go Next.

a special to the Philadelphia
Record from Washington recent
ly strikes some hard blows at he
expensive junketing trips to the
Philippines taken "for the good
of that country" by high officials
in the Government Congressional
and Army and Navy circles. The
dispatch says:
The simple announcement the
other day that Secretary Root
will possibly visit the Philippines
in May on an official inspection
tour in itself demonstrates the
farcical inutility of the wasteful
system of War Department in
Spectiou, So.called, which has de
veloptd to such amazing proper
tionS under the Alger Root adj
mlniStratlOnS.
\ sensation of last year was the
visit of nearly every bureau brig
adler general to the Philippines
on pIetenSe of a necessity to in
spect something. Among the
number were Adiutant General
Corbin, Quartermaster General
Ludiugton. CommiSSary General
Weston, Inspector General Breck-
inridge, PaymaSter General
Bates, Surgeon General Stern
berg and Chiet Signal Officer
Greedy. General Corbin was ac
companied 10y a considerable
party.
Besides these staff generals,
the War Department urged Stna
tors and Congressman to go out
at the public expense. Al one
time almost anybody could go on
a free iunket to the Philippines.
Among those who went were Sen
ators Bacon and Beverage, Con
greSSmen Hull, Kahn. De Ar
mord, Mercer, Gaines. Jack F..
Green. JOY. Weeks ana DriScoll.
Congressman Hull, chairman OF
the House Military Committee,
went out to see that the new army
Legislation was working all right
In explanation Of this unusual
procedure Secretary Root formally
gave out that the bureau officers
were neceSsitated to make IA com
plete investigation of the admin
istrative and supply departments
of the army in the Philippines,
for his personal use, preliminary
to reducing the army to peace
footing and turning the admins
tration OF affairs wholly over to
the civil authorities.
Aside from these special inSpec
tons of various kinds for divers
purposes. there were the regular
inspection officers of all branches
of the government at work out
there, as required 10y law, coming
and going, and making perennial
reports OF the condition and pro-
greSS of affairs. General Chatfee,
too, was almost daily sending in
reports by cable and mail. Army
officers of high rank were arriving
home from time to time direct
from the islands. always bringing
their fresh budgets of news and
views to the Secretary of War.
Supplementary TO these military
channels. the civilian Philippine
Commission was now in active
operation and constant communi.
cation with the home authorities.
The regular avenues of informa.
ton were numerous and reliable.
Finally, to guard against the
remotest misrepresentation result
ing from the observation of all
these visiting statesmen and
bureau juuketers, Governor Taft,
with a salary of 100000, has now
been brought home to coach the
Secretary and Congress itself
freely adding the weight of his
accumulated information to the
common store of Philippine lore.
Meanwhile the army was not
placed on a peace footing. Nor
has the military been superseded
by civilian administration. The
army is still in the saddle. In
fact, there have since been many
rumOrs of clash between the
civil and military authorities, and
it is said Governor Taft's real OBJ.
.ject in Washington is to straighten
out a Snarl.
Upon his return, General Cor
bins views became known. He
intimated freely that it was better
not to turn the islands over to
civil authority. 1t had the APP.
pearance. on COrbin's part, of a
subterranean and characteristic
ally bureaucratic effort to obStruct
if not folestall Secretary Roots
expressed design to supersede the
military administration at the
earliest possible day.
1t all resulted in a painful fail
ure. The visit of the staff briga-
diers, indeed, was probably hurt
full, for scarcely had General Cor
bin and his train left the islands
ere there was fresh outbreak of