The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-04-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.

This is about the gist of the polite eu-
phemisms which are now being exchaug-
ed in both branches of Congress under the
designation of debate. The great sundry
civil bill in the House and post Office bill
in the Senate, carrying between them
something like three hundred millions of
dollars, are making such Roadway as they
can against the impeachment of rancorous
partisan disputation. Both ends OF the
Capitol echo and re-echo WITH prelim-
mary campaign speeches. The Repub-
licans say, "In the vast governmental
machine, there has beer little stealing,
but we have punished the thieves; and
under our administration the country has
enjoyed the greatest prosperity it has ever
KNOWN The Democrats retort, mot
so; the country enjoyed greater prosperity
under the low revenue tariff of 1916, and
the corruptionist and dle-monger
never dehled any administration as they
have this one. You have been In Office
too long I" This, with infinite variations,
is the substance of the stump speeches
that will be made for the benefit of our
countrymen for the next seven months.
~
The case of Senator Smoot, of Utah,
will go over till next winter, and the
Senator will be left suspended between
Heaven and earth like the coffin of 10
Smith, or whoever it was. The testimony
has shown him to be man with only
one wife-not at all like the fed horses in
the morning, of which Jeremiah said
(v, 81 every one neighed after his neigh
boris wife" And Smoot goes on to quote
from Corinthians (ix, 81 .'have we not
power to lead about sister, wife, as
well as other apostles &" He asks SEN
ator Burrows committee to go ahead and
finish the testimony and give him his
clearance papers, but the Senator, with a
far-off look, says be does not see how it
is possible to conclude the hearing before
next winter
~
DR.. W.. T. Harris, U. S. Commissioner
of Education at this capital, warmly ap-
proves of the Rhodes scholarships in the
University of Oxford bequeathed to this
country, gift of the pioneer, Cecil Rhodes.
By the terms of the bequest two scholar
ships are given to each of our states and
territories exceptthe District of Columbia.
DIR. Harris rests his advocacy of it largely
on his contention that going to Oxford
will improve American manners "On
the whole" he says, .the code of the
English gentleman has in it what is con-
sidered the most admirable the world
over as belonging to polished manners"
declaration that the Englishman has more
admirable manners than any other gen.
tleman in the world will be news to
good many people. 1t is generally held
that refinement, culture and courtesy are
not matters of latitude and longitude.
Indeed, those who enjoy the acquaint-
ance of DIR. Harris will be as strongly
inclined to deny that he possesses less
savoirvivre than All Oxonian, as they are
to deny that the cultured American is
inferior in manners to the Briton.
~
For some inexplicable reason, the ad-
ministration, as represented by the Presi-
dent. his Cabinet, and the leading Re.
publican members of Congress, hopes
that Japan will win in the pending
Eastern war. This is the substance of
their private and confidential talks. The
President has forbidden army officers and
Office holders to talk publicly about the
war. Most of the Democrats on the other
hand, are partisans of Russia. This is
little odd, considering the fact that the
Mikado has never lifted his royal finger
for us while the Car was the staunchest
friend that Abraham Lincoln had. There
are excerpts. Recently met John Lind,
Dem, Congressman from Minnesota,
formerly governor of the state-tall, alert,
bony and gaunt, with the blue eyes of
the Swede. He hopes Japan will win
and cordially hates the powerful king of
the North. Those Swedes seem to cher
ish the traditional prejudices bequeathed
by Charles XII and the great Gustavus.
*x*
There has recently come from the Gov
ernment Printing Office volume of 500
pages on Our Military Policy" being a
study by the late General Upton. He
would have the military and militia forces
of this country in time of peace organized
on the expansive principle, and would
establish postgraduate school for of.
fcers. The New York Tribune says: "If
General Upton had lived to see the
Spanish War, with its confusion over the
organization of volunteer regiments, its
epidemics in camps of unframed men, its
rescue by black regulars of the volunteers
If 4 - =