The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-11-20
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WAsHINGTON. ID. c., November 10th.

WAsHINGTON. ID. c., November 10th.
MIR. EDIToR:-There are lots of people
Ill W aShlngton who take no stock in the
alleged information received by the adj
ministration, that Spain has decided. if it
fails to lick the Cuban insurgents within
the next few weeks. to try to lick Uncle
sam. Among them is a naval officer who
has had opportunities to know the Span
iards thoroughly. Discussing the matter,
he SAID to a personal friend: "Somebody
Is trlcklng the administration by giving
1t false information, and my impression is
that it is being done to prevent Cleveland
and Olney following Fitz Lees advice and
doing something that might help the Gu
bans The present race of Spaniards are
as arrant towards as can be found any
where on earth, and if the United States
| should demand it. they would rather go
| down upon their knees in supplication
than to attempt to fight US. Spain Is a
poor country and was growing poorer all
| the time, even before the drain which has
resulted from its attempts to put down the
Cuban revolution was started. 1t has Il
| few good fighting ships, but it needs them
| all and its rulers do not see where any
more are to come from: therefore they
have not the remotest idea either of seek
| upon them by country which they know
has Navy that would either sink or cap
ture every Spanish warship within sixty
| days of the opening of hostilities. L
| haven't the slightest hesitation in saying
| that if President Cleveland were to recog-
| niZe the independence of Cuba tomorrow,
the Spaniards would not dare to resent it.
| outside of their home newspapers While
most people agree with this officer in be-
| lieving that the administration is acting
| upon false information. its action in max
| ing preparations to fight. if it becomes
necessary. is generally commended: and
the commentator would be still heartier
| if. when everything is ready to fight, use
| should he made of the preparations by
| forcing a cessation of the war in Cuba,
| which is making desert out of the most
| fertile island in the world and is losing to
citizens of the United States more than
| 300 OOO, 900 year in profitable co nmerce.
Gen. William Birney. the veteran re-
publican who came out for Bryan and free
silver during the recent campaign, tells Il
story about Maryland methodist who re-
piled at public meeting to an argument
| put forth against the use of silver by 4
Methodist bishop. because it had been for
ever 'desecrated'' by the use of thirty
pieces of it to bride Judas Iscariot. Ac-
cording to Gen. Birney the Methodist gem
tlemen spoke as follows: "Brethern. the
Bishop is wrong. He has not examined
his bible. Christ used silver coin. Not
only used it, but sanctioned its use by 9th
ers. In the l eth chapter of Matthew, when
the tax gatherer demanded his tax Christ
directed Peter to go to the sea, cast in a
hook and take the fish that first comes up;
that he would find silver coin in the
fish'S mouth; that take and give unto
them for Me and thee Now, brethren,
he could just as easily have had Peter pull
out gold fish with gold coin in his
mouth as a silver fish with silver coin in
its mouth, but he wanted to give the ex-
ample to his followers for all time to use
silver
1t is perfectly well understood in Wash
ington that there are three members cf
President Clevelands Cabinet-Carlisle,
Herbert and Wilson-whom Mr.. Cleve-
land would like to see provided for before
he retires from office. They are all poor
and they are disposed from education and
experience to be better satisfied in public
than in private life. Mr. Cleveland hopes
that republican squabbles in Kentucky
will result in sending Mr.. Carlisle back to
the Senate from which he stepped to en-
ter the cabinet, and, although Mr. Car
Isle has said that he would prefer return
ing to private life and the practice of law
at his home, there isn't the slightest doubt
that he would willingly accept the Scna-
torship or failing that, and probably in
preference to that, a seat on the bench of
the United States Supreme Court 1t is
pretty generally believed that Secretary
Herbert will shortly resign and be APP
pointed to a coming vacancy in the Su-
preme Court of the District of Columbia,
and that Mr.. Wilson will be given some
sort of Il judicial appointment later. When
these things were first talked about, prom
inent silver men declared that the silver
majority in the Senate would refuse to
confirm the nomination of any member of
Mr. Cleveland's Cabinet to any position,
but that was during the excitement of the
campaign. 1t is quite certain that neither
Senator Morgan or Senator Pugh of his
state, would object to Secretary Herbert,
in fact, they would probably be glad to
see him provided for. Mr.. Wilson is per-
sonally popular in the Senate. as well as
everywhere else, and even Mr.. Carlisle
has staunch personal friends among the
silver Senators who would be more likely
to help him than to fight him. But repub-
lican Senators would be glad to hang up
every nomination made by Mr. Cleveland
this winter as it would mean just that
many more appointments for Mckinley to
make.