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Tne navy departruent wants $18, 000,CK)0...

Tne navy departruent wants $18, 000,CK)0... image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
September
Year
1899
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The navy department wants $18,000,000 for increase purposes next year. The country appears to be getting pretty good value for the money expended on the navy. This being the case its needs should be met ungrudgingly.

Transports are hurrying men, horses and munitions of war from San Francisco to Manila as rapidly as possible. When the wet season terminates the Filipinos may expect some experiences by which some valuable lessons may be learned.

Gen. Jiminez has left Cuba to enter upon his mission in Santo Domingo. The revolutionists appear to be in control and have formed a provisional government. There appears to be comparatively little disturbance in the districts held by the revolutionists The revolution thus far has been far less sanguinary than usual.

The president of Santo Domingo has stepped down and out in favor of Gen. Jiminez. Jiminez of course has no other title than that he has driven President Figuereo to resign through force. That is the only title that is recognized there, however. Jiminez will probably hold the office until he is killed or a stronger claimant comes along.

Lost or strayed but not stolen, one Hazen S. Pingree, familiarly known as "hizzexcellency" and "the old man." He is a great noise, but is not otherwise distinguished. He may have wandered away in a hypnotic state as it is known that he is easily subjected to the influence, especially on street railway matters. No reward is offered for his return as the quiet of his absence is too thoroughly appreciated by all concerned to lead any to desire his coming back.

Commander Edward D. Taussig who has been at Manila under Watson has been relieved of his command by the latter and ordered home. He criticized Watson's handling of the fleet. Whether any further punishment is inflicted upon him when he gets home will probably depend on how he conducts himself. Should he ask for a court of inquiry he may get more and possibly he might he vindicated. He will probably have had enough experience, however, to lead him to forego the court of inquiry.

Affairs in the Transvaal still remain in an unsettled state. Preparations for war are still going on and many people are leaving Johannesburg. Indications point to the union of the entire Dutch population of South Africa against England in case of war. England is pretty certain in the end, however, to gain the principle points of her contention. The Boer must change his tactics, he must take on some of the liberal ideas and the progress which surround him or give place to those who will stand for progress and the advance of civilization.

There was a touching and dramatic scene in the Dreyfus trial yesterday when the prisoner related his purpose to commit suicide before his degradation and dismissal from the French army for treason. He declared while laboring under the greatest emotion that but for the pleadings of his wife that for her sake and the sake of his children, he should live and undergo the torture that was to be inflicted upon him. He promised to do it and went to the degradation exercises because of that appeal. As an innocent man be would have preferred to take his own life than to suffer the torture but for the pleadings of his wife.

And now it is reported that Gen. Alger will determine in 10 days whether or not he will stay in the senatorial race. From present indications it will make little difference what his decision may be. If he decides to stay in he will be out of the race just the same as though he shall decide to pull out. All omens at present indicate that that permission belongs to McMillan. Is he not willing to pay the price? Does anyone suppose those who have the goods to deliver will not, when they have been once bought, stay bought? They are all honest men and would not disgrace Michigan by any such double dealings as that. The Argos sees no show for Alger.

M. Jules Guerin, the French anti-semite, is still besieged in the headquarters of the league. The archbishop of Paris recently called upon the premier and urged a peaceful solution of the difficulty, but Waldeck-Rousseau told him the law must prevail and that the government must take counsel of itself alone in the matter. That a great government should permit such an affair to drag along is strange. Permitting such defiance of authority would seem to have more danger in it than could possibly result from bringing the matter to a quick end.

One E. H. Green, chairman of the republican state central committee of Texas, has escaped from home and wandered down to New York where he confided to the confidence of a reporter his idea that the republicans are soon to come into their own in the state of the immortal Flannigan. The strange thing about Green is that he appears to be perfectly sane and no one would suspect his malady if he talked with him on any ether subject than politics. There are no violent symptoms about. Friends will return him to the wild and wooly region from whence he came and try to soothe him back to the normal.

Col. Gardener, of the 30th Michigan, which is about to start for the Philippines, was the guest of honor last night at the annual banquet of the Holland society at Chicago. Vice Consul Birkhoff, for the Netherlands, at the close of the toasts proposed that the audience drink to the health of Queen Wilhelmina. Quick as a flash Col. Gardener interjected, "Let us drink to the health of the president of the United States and Queen Wilhelmina." The Consul bowed acknowledgement and the toast was drunk after which all joined in singing "America." The incident was decidedly dramatic and showed the colonel on his metal.

According to Commissioner of Pensions Evans the pension department during the past year has been run on less money than was appropriated for the purpose which is a fine record. There was appropriated the total sum of $140,000,000 and of this $138,556,052 were expended. The report shows that there are 753,451 veteran survivors of the war and 237,415 widows and dependent relatives. Commissioner Evans has given an honest administration of the pension bureau under the status but he has fallen far short of the desires of many of the veterans. No other government has ever been so generous and even prodigal with its soldiers and yet many are not satisfied. But this is human. The generosity of the government gives the lie to the statement that republics are ungrateful.

The election of Dr. Boone to the superintendency of the Cincinnati public schools amounts to a practical vindication of him. The causes of his dismissal here were understood by the board there and yet they did not work against him at all, for he was elected at a greatly increased salary over what he received here. He is too able an educator to be kept down by the throw down be received at the hands of the small fry who bought him off, or secured his resignation by paying him $2,000 of the state's money. It was understood at Cincinnati, of course, that he left Ypsilanti on his own terms. His treatment by certain members of the state board of education was anything but just, still the measure of those who compassed his defeat here is understood and he steps into a better position without the loss of any time at all. Unquestionably he will give Cincinnati an able administration.

Once more there is a conflict of opinion between the commander of the American forces in the Philippines and a fighting general in the field. Otis but recently said no more cavalry was needed there as infantry was better for the purpose. This is the opinion of a general who commands from his office in Manila and never sees the front. Then over against this opinion may be placed that of Gen. Fred Funston, the cyclone from Kansas. He has shown that he is not a fighter by courtesy but the real thing. What does he say? He declares that if the Americans are going to bring the war to an end they must inflict a crushing defeat upon the Filipinos, that there must be means at hand to pursue them when they are dislodged from a position and to this end cavalry is needed. They must be run down he says with cavalry. He declares further that during the dry season the country is well adapted to the use of cavalry. He thinks the Americans will have to go man hunting with cavalry or the war will drag on a long time. They must not only be defeated in battle but pursued and crushed utterly before they will have learned the lesson it is necessary for them to learn before they will give up. This same Gen. Otis is the man, too, who insisted all along that be had men enough and did not need any more. But the war department is hurrying more troops there as rapidly as possible. His opinion is probably worth just about as much on the question of the practicability of cavalry there.