Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-12-28
WASHINGTON LETTER
(From our Regular Correspondence

From our Regular Correspondent,
Washington, u. Z. Dec 22,-There
seems no end to the trouble that the
order for the discharge of the 25 h in
fantry lie to cause during The present
Congress The message of President
Roosevelt this week showing the in
formation on which be had acted and
citing precedented for his cause has
not been accepted bv Congress as the
end to the matter. There Is an excel
lent opportunity to play politics and
make votes out of the situation and
there Is every indication that this op
portunity will be taken advantage of
to the full The most vicious attack
that has been made upon the Presi
dent 80 far was by Senator Foraker, of
Ohio, Oh the last day preceding the
holiday recess. Senator Foraker went
into the situation in detailed and de-
manded an investigation by the mill
tary committee with a view to laying
bare what be claims would be shown
to be the real facts In the situation
Very probably this course will be tax
on after the holiday recess. There will
be no difficulty in securing the passage
of a resolution of this sort as it will
mean not only chance for Congress
sional junket but the best of all Oppor
tunlties for piling up political records.
Senator Foraker seems to have over
looked one of the salient features of the
situation and that is that conspiracy
of silence would be possible only as the
President pointed out through the
collision of the room sergeants and
other nom commissioned officers of the
battalion aud that without this colIu-
sion such an incident as happened at
Brownsville could never have come to
pass.
The Committee on Banking and Cur
rency has reported favorably to the
house the bill for an elastic currency
very much as was recommended
by the bankers commission recently
in session IN Washington. This plan
contemplates the issue of credit notes
to the amount of 40 per cent. of the
banks capital. The tax on the first
80 per cent of the amount issued will
be IL per cent, for the remaining 10
per cent. the tax will be 5 per cent. 1t
is claimed in favor of the scheme that
1t will put the extra circulation in
whatever part of the country it is
most needed and that the tax while
not be heavy enough to be prohibitive
but will be sufficiently heavy to pre-
vent the banks from keeping the notes
In circulation after the emergency calls
for the issue has passed.
It Is rather remarkable at this late
day to hear any talk of the revival of
the Klu Klux Khan. Yet it is very like
| ly that the government will have some
thing of this sort on it's hands in the
near future. 1t is in connection with
the Isle of Pines. A gentleman has
Just returned to Washington from that
island and brings the interesting in
formation that the whole organization
of the Khan has already been perfected
there. 1t will be recollected that there
have been almost fearful appeals and
protests from the little island against
having its administration turned over
to Cuba. The bulk of the settlers
there are Americans who went to the
Isle of Pines under the impression that
it was American territory. Since then
they have been sadly undeceived by
the action of General Wood who turn
ed the island over to the Cuban gov
eminent. All of the natives are thor
oughly In accord with the American
settlers In their opposition to the
Cuban carpet bag officials who are sent
to govern this little island paradise,
about the size of Rhode Island Now
the Americans have lost all hope of
the treaty insuring American posses
sion to be passed by the Senate, they
have organized a secret Klan exactly
on the line of the Ku KIux with the
object Of warning, deporting, and if
necessary burylng every Cuban official
and gendarme who is sent to rule over
them. The leader of the organization
happens to be an old Ku KIux man
himself. The order Is secret and oath
bound so that 1t will be almost impos
zible to detect it and it's members say
that If an American warship is sent
and marines landed to garrison the is
land that will be the thing of all others
which they will welcome and cheerful
y submit to.
Bids will be opened on the 18th of
next month for the construction by
J contract of the Panama canal. All of
the preliminaries for this gigantic bid
have been completed. Invitations
have been issued to about sixty of the
biggest contracting firms in the world
who are expected to take part in the
competition. No single firm would be
able TO do all the work aud 1t is expect
| ed that bids will be submitted FROM
groups of contractors VINO are parti
cuiarly expert in dredging. excavating
and railroad and masonry construction.
| The government will retain as former.
! ly entire administrative control of the
Canal zone and the contractors will
be expected to deal only with the &C.
tual work of construction. The plans
will provide for canal 1000 feet wide