Gloucester County Democrat., 1902-05-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent.I
WASHINGTON, May II, 1902.

uO OIll lCPOiuCO Wy UAC
Committee is one of the most iniquitous
measures ever presented to a Congress of
the United States, y said Senator Dubois, of
Idaho, yesterday when I asked him his
opinion of the bill itself ''By the pro-
visions of the bill commission composed
of three men, is given the most absolute
powers over the Filipinos and their lands
The edicts of the commission 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 fran
chises to whomeyer they see fit and require
in return for the same such compensation
OF no compensation as they choose. They
can lease land in immense tracts to corpora
tions for whatever rental they desire. 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 oligarchy which can sell them, body
and soul, from whose actions they have no
redress, from a despotc 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 to-day 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 plenipotentiary power
to commission composed of few favored
individuals is bound to result in corrup-
tion. 1t is folly to plead the high character
of the present commission. Its members
may all be dead in a MONTH As general
proposition, it is evident that the bestmen
in the United States are not going to for
sake their homes and their business inter
ests and go 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 besiege the
President for positions which carry hand
some salaries. The passage of this bill
will inevitably result in scandals from
which the fair name of the Omitted States
will long suffer-"
All last week in the Senate was spent in
debating the Philippine bill and the pros
poets are that all this week will be spent
in the same way. Senator Dubois tells me
that he expects to address the Senate on the
subject, and Senator Bailey told me that he
would probably do so. Senator Foraker
will speak for the Republicans, and prob
ably Senator Spooner. The Democrats feel
that they will be derelict in their duty if
they do not completely expose to the public
the situation in the islands, and the prob
able results of the Republican policy which
is un-American in every detail.
The sudden death of three Democratic
members of the House of Representatives
early last week, Messrs. Cummings, Otey
and Salmon, seemed about to be followed
by another on Friday when delegate Smith,
of Arizona exhausted with his efforts in
behalf of the Territorial Omnibus bill, con-
cluded a speech in favor of the bill and fell
insensible with slight stroke of apoplexy.
Fortunately, however, Mr.. Smith soon
showed signs of recovery and is now re-
garded by his physicians as out of danger.
The bill passed the House with the pro-
visions, that the constitutional convention
of New Mexico might change the name of
that territory on its becoming State, and
that the convention Of Oklahoma should
adopt an irrevocable statute to the effect
that the Federal government should have
the privilege of attaching to the new State
any or all of Indian Territory at any time.
Out of respect to its deceased members
the House transacted no business on Mon
day and Tuesday and the passage of the
territorial bill practically concluded It's
labors for the week. On Friday afternoon
the private pension calendar was cleared
and on Saturday eulogies were pronounced
on the late Representative Polk, of Penn
sylvania, and the late Senator Kyle, of So
Dakota. This week the bill of Represen-
tative Adams, so amending the statutes as
to permit of the granting of passports to
citizens of our insular possessions 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
battle ships in government navy yards.
This provision is approved by the labor OIL
carnations but is opposed by the Republi-
can machine in the House, and in the
Senate by Senators Hanna and Mcmillan
who are stockholders Of the Trust which
now constructs the naval vessels of the
United States.
There has been prevalent in Congress
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
we're 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
pines and a resolution was passed by the
Senate calling for information. To this
resolution Mr.. Root has replied that he can
not furnish figures during this session of
Congress because they are almost inextri-
cably involved with other statistics Of the
department.. If such is the case, it is ar
gued, the accounting methods of the War
Department must be sadly lacking in sys-
TEN, but the more plausible explanation
and the one generally accepted, is that tie
Secretary realizes that the figures will cast
serious reflection on his party and that he
has, in view of the approaching elections,
concluded to suppress them for the present.
His course is literally condemned even by
the leaders of his own party who argue
that the public soon forgets but will net
forgive being keI t in the dark.