The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-04-10
Washington Letter.
WAsH1GToN, April $, 1895.

ministration had won a very credit
able diplomatic victory from Great
Britain in that little affair of
Nicaragua's seaports. Nothing Off
cial has been given out about the
diplomatic correspondence on this
MATES within the last few days, but
there are good reasons for stating
that Ambassador Bayard has been
most positively assured by the British
government that nothing will be
done in its dealings with Nicaragua
that can be properly construed into a
violation of the Monroe doctrine.
This assurance was naturally very
gratifying to President Cleveland and
the other members of the Admins
tration. 1t way saying in a round
about way that Great Britain never
really meant to carry out that bonn
harding threat, and it was also in a
way Of recognition of the Monroe
doctrine. That this assurance from
Great Britain was the result of the
courageous position taken by the
Administration as to the maintenance
of the Monroe doctrine is certain.
And nothing was lost by the knowl-
edge on the part of Great Britain,
that the United States had a sufficient
naval force in the South Atlantic to
back up the position assumed.
The arrival of the new Spanish
minister is a~nxiously awaited in
Washington, as it is believed that he
will have several important commu-
nications to make to this government.
The Alliance incident is still open.
and the belief is growing that Spain
is trying to play a double game in
connection Herewith, notwithstand-
ing it's promise to make it satlsfac-
tory as soon as it was in possession
of the necessary information. AS
the new Spanish minister is to spend
a week or ten days in Cuba before
coming to Washington he will be
expected to acquire all the needed
information and if his government
t still delays making a satisfactory
settlement he may find himself very
disagreeably surprised soon after his
arrival. And his surprise is not
likely to be ~displeasing to the Cuban
revolutionlsts.
Postmaster General Wilson drop.
ped into his new duties as
naturally as though he had been
dealing with postal affairs all his life,
and he is the same urbane gentleman
in dealing with his numerous callers
that he always was during his ex-
tended Congressional career. He
has long ago proved himself we'll
protected against that insidious dis
Ease known to ordinary folk as the
"big head; therefore no n is
surprised to fine him just as a%ccessi.
ple now as when he was a member of
Congress.
The projectors of the new silver
party profess to have encouraging
reports from a number Of States, but
their professions are largely discount
ed by their claims as to the States Of
Pennsylvania and Connecticut. The
only claim these people make that is
backed by common sense and hard
facts, is that a large majority of the
voters of the country are bimetallists.
That claim is unnecessary because it
is known by everybody, but that
doesn't mean that all the b%imetallists
are ready to drop their party af6Iia-
tons and unite in an assistant re-
publican party, which is about all the
new silver patty is.
The decision of the Supreme Court
in the income tax cases is disappoint-
ing to everybody, and probably to
nobody more than to members of the
court. The constitut;onality of the
law stands, not by an affirmative de-
cision, but because the eight justices
sitting were evenly divided. In.
comes from rents, municipal and
State bonds are exempted from the
tax. But what most disappointed
the members of the court was the
stealing of a copy Of the decision in
advance Of its being officially made.
1t was sold to the correspondent of
a Chicago paper and telegraphed to
that city. The decision will make
lots of worry and litigation for the
government, but Secretary Carlisle
is very positive that it will not make
necessary the calling of an extra
session OF Congress, although the ex-
captions will probably reduce the
receipts from the income tax at least
one-half. But even if not a nickel
was received from that source by the
Treasury, Secretary Carlisle says
there will be money enough and to
spare to ca:1y the government until