The age-herald., 1897-08-10
AN 0LLA PODRlDA
 OF THE PRESENT DAY

A New York Sun correspondent in Ha- vana writes us that the Cubans are all around the city of Havana and have prae- tieally laid siege to the city.
 In their method of warfare the cubans are giving General weyler as much trouble as nest of hornets, and all the news from Havana is now to the effect that the cu- bans will eventually win.
 While We are suffering from hard times in this country, it is given out from New York that the banks there have issued let ters of credit to Americans travelling in Europe this summer to the amount of two hundred and twenty million dollars. No wonder our supply of cash runs short in this country at times. -~
 We Americans area gullable people. AL ready mines in the Klondyke are being bonded and the bonds foated in New York and other of our cities. It seems to be only necessary to get a map, mark a space off  on it. and name a mine, to quote bonds on the same. Yet bonds cannot be hoated upon anything in this country at present.
 The king of Siam is in London. He goes everywhere and displays the greatest in- terest in what he sees.
 His majesty was conducted into the com mittee room of the house of lords, upon entering which he was impressed by the famous canvas therein representing Moses descending from Mount Sinai bearing the tablets of the law. The kings knowledge did not extend to this subject, and upon being told what the painting represented, he asked: And who was Moses?"
 The United States government is de- manding that Turkey shall pay us an in- demnity of $125,OOO for outrages committed at Harpoot and Marash during. the out breaks there two years ago, when the mis- sionary intertests were injured and the lives of hundreds of Americans were im- periled by Turkish soldiers Our new min- ister, MT. Angel, has been instructed to phatic language and to inform the sultan that the United States expects prompt &C., quiescence with their demands.
 Our claims were not pressed by MT. Ter rell because of the Greco-Turksh war. It appears now to the state department that there is no immediate settlement of tho Greco war indemnity or final peace decla- rations, and the longer this country puts off pressing a demand for payment the more difficult it will be to collect it. We may have to send a warship to Turkey to get this money.
 This government is embroiled with sev- eral foreign countries this year. We are In trouble with Spain, as we have been for the last eighteen months over Cuban matters But probably the most serious complication which stae department has to deal with just now is the Hawaiian annexation matter. In this matter we are laible to be- come seriously embroiled with Japan. There are nearly sixty thousand Japanese in the Hawaiian Islands. They are sent there as contract laborers to work on the sugar plantations. With this large number of Japs on the island the government has de- manded and obtained from the Hawaiian republic concessions which will not be al- lowed them should Hawaii become part of the United States. Therefore Count Okuma, the foreign minister of Japan is putting up decidedly vigorous protest. And, by the way old Count Okuma is a fighter and a man of great intellect. He has always been an up-to-date statesman, so much so, in fact, that several years ago some of the political leaders of the old school attempted to blow him up with dy- namite They succeeded in blowing off both his legs and blowing aim out of office, but the explosion had no effect on his brain. Only a short time ago he was a private citizen. He was political leader of the war party in Japan when the great mass of Japs wanted to declare war against Russia for their interference in preventing Japan from holding possession of the terrl- tory captured from China. The populace was so thoroughly with Okuma that the cabinet was removed, and in making up his new ministry the emperor called Oku- ma to the foreign affairs portfolio.
 | As minister of foreign affairs he has been making much of a war bluff against the United States. but the chances are that the Hawaiian Islands will be annexed at the December session of congress without even a skirmish with Japan.