Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1895-10-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondent.
wAsHIsoTos. d. c.. Oct. 1lth. 1895

/ into etfect--accent on the ~ " Ot--
has made bad start by pleading the
baby act. He was asked last week
what, if anything, the administra-
ton proposed to do about the Cuban
reyolutionists. The man who asked
the question occupies position
which entitled him to a reply, other
wise Mr.. Olney would have given
him the usual silent bluff with
which he parties the questions Of
| newspaper men and other inquisi-
tive individuals. Not daring to do
that he fell back on the baby act,
and saId that the reports were so
conflicting that he had, up to this
time, found it impossible to ascer-
tain the true status of affairs in
Cuba; that the Spanish minister in
sisted that the revolt was 4 mere
nothing and would soon be stamped
out. and that the rosy pictures of the
reyolutionists' successes which APP
pear from time to time in the news
papers were manufactured in this
country. He intimated that it might
be necessary to send a confidential
agent to Cuba to investigate before
the administration decided what po-
sition it would take. 1t is significant
that state department officials cite
two precedents for the idea Of send
ing confidential agent to Cuba. In
1916, before acknowledging the in
dependence Of the revolving Spanish
colonies i'm South America, President
Monroe sent three commissioners in
u. s. man-of-war to investigate the
situation, and in 1913, when Daniel
Webster was secretary of state, Pres
ident Taylor secretly commissioned
a confidential agent to go to Hungary
and ascertain the chances the Hun
garians had for success in their re-
volt against Austrian rule, an act
which caused strained relations be-
tween this country and Austria, al
though the revolt was put down be-
fore the agent got to Hungary, and
gave Mr. Webster an opportunity to
write one Of his strongest state pa
pers. There is reasonable ground
for the suspicion that Mr.. Cleveland
has already appointed a confidential
agent, and that the man is now in
| Cuba.
Some very ludicrous suggestions
have been made as to who Will be
given the vacancy in the supreme
court, but the most ludicrous of them
all is that which came last week
from some southern democrats in
favor Of Representative Thomas G..
Catchings, of Miss, "Shoestring Tom
beneficiaries of crooked election
methods in the south. In the. eyes
Of most people "Shoestring Tom has.
not single qualification for seat
| upon the bench Of our highest court,
| but he has one trait which, in Mr..
Cleyeland's eyes, may make up for
all that he lacks-he is a cuckoo Of
the most pronounced breed.
Secretary Morton is the one men,
Der of the administration who is
open in his advocacy Of free trade.
That's why he has been so anxious
that Mexican cattle should be adj
mitted free. under the pretense of
injuring the beef trust. lie has been
loud III Ills claims that this was IN
tile interests Of the farmers particu-
larly. Just now the mail of the de-
partment Of agriculture is burdened
with protests from farmers who raise
cattle against the free admission of
Mexican cattle. Evidently the Amer
lean farmers think they know what
is to their interest better than the
free trade secretary Of agriculture
does,
Mr.. Castle. the new Hawaiian min
lister, who has been in Washington
for ten days, but who has not yet
been officially received az such by
the administration, denies in the
most positive terms the sensational
statements contained in a Hawaiian
publication brought 70 the Ulnyed
States on the last steamer, to the ef--
feet that the Hawaiian republic was
ON the verge Of dissolution. He says
The editor of The publication ia ques-
tion has always been opposed to the
republic and that what he prints IS
treated With ridieule by the intelli-
gent people on the island. Mr.. Castle
declines ~ discuss the reports con-
corning japau's desire to obtain pos
session OF the islands, but from other
sources it il learned that the mems
bel- 1T tho Hawaiian government
aro uneasy concerning what they
have learned Of lapau's intentions.