The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-01-29
THE STRAINED RELATIONS
Between the State and Navy
Departments at Washington
ABOUT THE SAMOAN AFFAIR.
The VssoIllating Policy of Secretary
Bayard Not Conourred In by Sec,
retary whItney-cabInet Res
ignAtIons Probable,

WARRINGTON, Jan, 2S,-Ile ohcla
ceuteIs Of Washington have awakened tc
a sense OF the strained relations between
the State and Navy Departments, aris'
ing out OF a difference OF views as to the
proper course to be pursued by the Gov
ernment in the Samoan affairs,
The publication OF the correspondence
between Secretary Whitney and Repre-
sentative Herbert, which has been made
the vehicle OF the information, that the
policy Of unlimited patience pursued by
the State Department Is not concurred
in by the Navy Department, can be in
terpreted only in one way, and that is in
accord with the advance information
given in these dispatches,
1t Is not in Secretary Whitney's nature
TO sit inactive and silent, and have his
department charged with its share OF
blame for policy which in the councils
OF the Government he strenuously OPP
posed. The rumor is current here that
either Secretary Whitney or Secretary
Bayard will resign within the next few
days, the report even going so far Us TO
say that resignation has been offered
TO the President, While 1t Is not known
that these rumors have any foundation
In fact, the present strained condition OF
affairs In the Cabinet is undoubtedly the
cause OF the resignation. The next few
days will be watched with unusual in.
terest.
The State Department has been sub.
jeCted to no little criticism since the pub
liCation OF Secretary Whitney's letter To
Mr.. Bayard, in which he asks that an ad-
ditional policy be outlined for the benefit
of the Navy Department, This letter
was dated January 5, 1880, but was not
included in the bath OF correspondence
sent to Congress under the date Of JAN
uary u.
Said a member Of the Senate Foreign
Affairs Committee to-day: "SeCretary
Whitney had good reason to chaie un.
der the inaction OF tho State Depart
ment, and his letter was just such one
as u man OF his temperament would have
written under the circumstances. As
he says, ho did not want his Department
kicked, so he wrote TO Secretary Bayard
and asked him to Indicate the policy to
be pursued under the circumstances.
Secretary Bayard could not answer this
question and 1t was referred to Congress
when what purported to be the entire
correspondence was sent 10 the Senate.
Why didn't Secretary Bayard send
Whitney's letter? Because It reflected
on the State Department presumably.
There was certainly no excuse for not
submitting it, for Whitney's letter trans.
mittiug Admiral Kimberly's instructions
was sent along with the other papers.
Nobody can blame Whitney for doing It,
but have no doubt his reference to this
letter In his Communication To Chairman
Herbert, Of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, was simply intended TO draw
out the inquiry that resulted In the pub
lication OF the letters. The whole affair
places Whitney In an excellent light be-
fore the people, even though it may not
reflect much credit on Bayard."
The question has been asked what the
attitude OF our German.American citi-
zens would be in case war broke out be.
tween the United States and Germany,
and the real sentiment OF this portion
OF American citizenship on the subject
Of our present relations with the Ger
man government touching the Samoan
islands is q matter Of considerable inter.
est and speculation. The German Min
lister in Washington, rs already reported,
Is taking great pains To find out through
the German.American press and other
available means, the German.American
sentiment In the premises. The Ger
mans In this country are generally ad.
mitted, in ordinary matters not involv.
ing absolute hostility To the Fatherland,
TO be quite as American as the Ameri.
cans themselves; but how they would
feel and how they would fight II their
adopted country and the land OF their
birth should be placed face TO face in
battle array is yet an unsoved problem.
II would be an extremely new situation,
and an experiment which has never yet
been tried.
Many Germans left their native land
10 escape the iron rule OF Bismnrck, and
came 10 the United States for the benefit
Of d ireer lie and government. The
Conscript laws OF Germany made life, to
them, almost uncomfortable there, and
when II was only to protect them from
the grasp OF their Iron Chancellor that
the United States Government would
interfere In their hshall, It was easy for
them TO choose between one government
and another, but 1t would bo an entirely
different case II they were asked 10 go on
board OF q United States man.ot.wat, or
shoulder d inusket and 90 into The field
In front OF q German army and blaze
away at their brothers and cousins
whom they left behind In the old coun-
try. Er .,,,,
Congressman Guenther, Of Wisconsin,
Is the most prominent German 'Aperi'
can In Congress. He has no hesitation
In declaring for the United States against
Germany, all along the limo, In war az
well as In peace. "fhere Is going 10 be
no war between Germany and the
United States" said Mr.. Guenther 10
correspondent to-day. "The two coun:
tries are too far apart 10 make a fight
POSSIBLE. A battle between the inhabi'
tants OF Mars and Jupiter would be as
feasible and pretty nearly as probable.
We are not going 10 fight about any
dineiopoep that may exist between, op.
posing iaCtlohs In q llttle BIT Of a place
like Samoa, where there are only about
80, 900 people, such as they arc, all told.
We may send our gunboats out TO enter
the cempetitiYe drills with the gunboata
Of the German Empire Of Samoa. Our
consular and naval officers and tho con.
sular and naval officers Of Germany may
Talk very high 70 each other, aud may
sond very spirited reports TO their re'
spoCtivo Governments, but these are
only harmless embellishments OF diplo.
maiic correspondence, They are sent
out there simply TO point a moral and
adorn d tale, 10 make life interesting and
10 lmpart q picturesque aspect TO ma
INo hostile Shot,o he continued, twill
ever be exchanged In Samoan waters OF
elanwhefg between the lnBn.OlswAf sent