Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-05-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE OF THR MONITOR.
WdshinOtoD 1FuU 18th 1897.


tecting American citizens in Cuba
goes great deal further than pro-
tecting them in their political rights,
as he has fully made known to Con-
gress. 1t includes protecting them
from the starvation that is staring
so many of them in the face, as re
suit of the policy of Gen. Weyler in
cooping them up in the cities and
towns of Cuba where there is no OPP
portunity for those who are depen-
dent upon their labor for living for
themselves and families to obtain en-
ployment President Mckinley has
asked Congress to appropriate money
to furnish food, clothing and medi-
and Congress will promptly do it, and
the relief will be distributed by u. S.
officials. The Spanish minister want
ed to have the distribution made by
Spanish officials, but he was prompt
ly informed that it could not be done;
that as long as Spain had by it's policy
caused these people, American citi-
Zens and non-combatants, to be de-
prived of the work by which they
lived, it should have seen that they
were in some other way provided for;
that having failed to do its duty, the
u. S. would relieve it's own citizens,
either by birth or naturalization,
without help or hindrance from Spain.
That is as far as the matter has gone,
but there is little doubt that the send,
ing of relief to Cuba for suffering
Americans by this government, is the
first step toward Intervention, either
peaceably or by force, to put an end
to the barbarous condition of affairs
on the island. It will follow as natu-
raj sequence. If present conditions
were allowed to continue, the y. S
government would have to establish
permanent relief depots in every
town on the island. The first duty
will be to clothe the naked Ameri-
cans, feed the hungry and see that
the sick get proper nursing and medi-
cine; then the conditions that brought
about the suffering will have to be
changed. There will be no occasion
for trouble, unless Spain makes it. If
she does, so much the worse for
Spain.
MIR. Frank A. Vanderbilt, who has
been acting as private secretary to
Secretary Gage, since he entered the
cabinet, and who has been nominated
to be Assistant Secretary of Treasury,
is one of the youngest men who ever
filled this important position, but his
bility to properly perform its duties
Is unquestioned. Although Mr.. Van
derlip is only 80 years old, he has had
an extended financial experience,
b aving been for eight years financial
editor of the Chicago Tribune, and
ever since his school-boy days a close
student of finance and political econ
omy.
From a republican point of view,
Florida neither gains nor loses to any
marked extent by sending ex-Repre-
sentative Stephen r. Mallory to the
Senate in place of MIR. Call, whose
term expired with the last Congress.
Although Mr.. Call served three terms
in the Senate, he was more widely
kno wn because of the little episode
connected with his wearing fancy
socks and taking off his shoes while
the Senate was is session, than for
any craftsmanship displayed during
his eighteen years service.
The tariff debate will not begin un-
til next week, although Senator Aid
rich will, on Thursday of this week,
call the bill up for the purpose of
making statement covering the
views of the republicans of the FL
nance Committee on the amend
ments. No agreement has been reach
ed as to the length of time the bill
viii be debated by the Senate, but
the talk of the individual Senators of
all parties indicates that the debate
is likely to be much shorter than it
was several weeks ago supposed that
it would be. Republicans of the
Ho use take no stock in the story that
the tactics by which the Senate COM
PEELED the House to accept it's amend
ments to the Wilson bill, are to be
again brought to bear, and many of
them do not hesitate to say that if
the attempt is made, it will fail My
own impression is that the House
would remain in session until the
opening of the regular session, next
December, before it would accept all
of the Senate amendments.
Even as staunch an advocate of
the civil service law as Senator