The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-28
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, March q, 1895.

Is tne acquisition Oh CuDa py tho Chiteu
States desirable? This is very old ques-
tion which has been revived by the happen.
ings of the last few days. There was time
when the United States offered Spain $780,.
100000 for Cuba, and Spain declined to
even consider the offer. There are men who
now advocate its acquisition by force, not
by purchase; but there is no reason to be-
lieve that Secretary Gresham is one Of them,
although his hasty demand on account of
the firing at the u S. mail steamer Alliance
by q Spanish gunboat, if made upon a
country more equal in fighting strength to
United States would put him under suspi.
cion. 1t would be useless for him to try
to provoke war with Spain. Nations are
like individuals. They prefer humiliation
without thrashing to humiliation and the
thrashing too. But that dosent answer the
above question. When the United States
offered to buy Cuba it was with the inten-
ton of making it one vast slave plantation.
Conditions have changed. From what is
known of the present population of Cuba
UHty nave iIttit JIAJ WOulu IHAkc UHeH1 ue-
sirable as citizens, and much that makes
them the reverse, however desirable poss-
ession the island itself mayb e. Just keep
that question in mind; it may become very
live one in American politics in the near
future.
Secretary Herbert has after mature con-
sideration confirmed the eleventh hour
nominations of naval cadets made by sixteen
Congressman on the last day they held office
but there are several other nominations
made by Congressman on March 4th, in
which the papers did not reach Secretary
Herbert until afternoon at which hour the
men who made them ceased to be Congress-.
men. These will probably be turned down
by the Secretary This whole business is
regarded by the Congressmen-ele from the
districts directly interested, and by other
people, too, as bit of sharp practice on the
part OF the retiring Congressman. Under
the usual procedure the vacancies at the
Naval Academy would be filed by the
members of the Fifty-fourth Congress, but
some overshrewd fellow discovered that
there was a way by which this pap could he
gathered and proceeded to put it into effect,
by getting an amendment tackled to the
Sundry Civil Appropriation bill, authorizing
the immediate filling of all vacancies. That
bill was not signed until the morning of
March 4. Then there was a rush to get
nominations for the vacancies filed before
noon. Sixteen succeeded
The small portion Of the world which re.
CARDS diplomatic etiquette az the strongest
and and most unalterable law of the universe,
sort of modern edition of the revised
statutes of the Medes and Persians-are in
state bordering on distraction because of
several serious infractions of that etiquette
which have Of late occurred in Washington
The first OF these awful and woe inspiring
catastrophes occurred when Assis tant Secre-
tary of State Uhl-its now pronounced like
the Indians ugh" by the mourners in the
diplomatic circle--so far forgot his kinder,
gartsn lessons in diplomacy as to receive,
while he was acting, during Secretary
Greslam's illness, head of the Department
OF State, personal visit from the first Sec
retary OF the Italian embassy, and to allow
that functionary to call attention to the
murder of Italians in Colorado and to ask
verbally that this government exercise it's
authority to protect those still living, and
to have the murderers tried. This was
nrnnnunnah- lin tina l;,nitad oirol. .h,v, -,
ferred to-a deliberate insult to the United
States, and before the pronouncing was well
over with the Italian Ambassador nsulted
Uncle Sam again by communicating directly
with the Colorado State authorities, instead
Of through the Department of State. The
aforesaid moarners cite numerous cases in
which European have given foreign minis.
terra their passports for much lesser offences
than these, and wonder what the admins.
tration will do about it. Other people
laugh, and call it tempest in teapot. y
Another shock was given the diplomatic
circle and its social outskirts by Senor
Muruga. the Spanish minister's, newspaper
criticism of Secretary Gresham's spirited
demand that the Spanish government apolo-
gize and take immediate steps that will pre-.
vent recurrence of incidents like the firing
on the U. s. mail steamer Alliance by a
Spanish gunboat, but as this did not involve
any insult for Uncle Sam it was merely re
garded as a "bad break" on the part Of
Senior Muruaga As matter of fact, it was
the most serious of the diplomatic occurr.
enoes of the week, and if Muruaga was cor
rectly reported he ought to be sent home in
;hort order.
Mark Twain may fight duel with Pau
Blouet MAX O'Rell,) the French humorist
because of a sarcastic rejoinder to the stric
lures of Bourget on American women
Bourget had said: 81 suppose life canno,
get entirely dull to an American, becaus,
whenever he can't strike up any other wa,
to put in his time he can ALWAYS get ava,
with few years trying to fpd out who hi
grandfather wap." To which Twain replied
Il reckon q Frenchman can get his littl