The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-01-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.


Regular Correspondence OF the W HiG.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 80 1896.
The Inauguration preparations are going
meuily along and an cnormou" quantity of
work has already been done. The cXecu
tive committee asked that a guarantee fund
of 500, 600 be contributed by citizens Of
Washington, and without doing any per-
sona soliciting, checks aggregHting $50, 900
are already in the hands Of the treasurer of
the committee. 1t has practically been
decided that the inaugural hail shall he
held IN the Court of tljc Pension Building
although tne official announcement to that
effect sill not br made until the end of the
red tape n, cessary TO he unwound in sscur
ing the consent Of Secretary Francis shall
have been reached. Some striking novel
ties in the way of illumination are prom
ised by the sub committee in charge " that
branch Of the ceremonies. Among the
latest applications foi accommodations are
those d nit% meuheIs Of the L. t. Hayes
Club, all Of whom were members ri Maj
McKinley'@ Oil regiment, the I'D Ohio.
It is daily becoming more certain chat
the Republican majority OF the House re-
garicss Of thr indiyihul! opinion a. rncm-
hers as ~ Cuba. viii NOT allow any action
! to he taken at this session that is ooEsid
cred likely to make war with Spain a
probability. They feel that it would not
= l.. I,,itI t,. -,
the Fifty-aith Congress, which will so soon
| he in session, to take any such action, even
were there much stronger reasons therefor
| than have yet been brought forward; that
nothing but good can come of leaving the
matter where President Mckinley, whose
patriotism and courage have been tested,
can have some say about it. while nothing
but harm could come of precipitatpg action
that might give tic new administration
foreign war to handle, instead Of being able
to devote all its ability and energy to The
restoration Of domestic prosperity.
Speaking of Cuba, not a little amuse-
ment has been the result of the announce
ment OF what is oftenest referred to as
"Mouey 'sfoo! trip" Representative Money,
who is also Senator-elect from Mississippi,
has gone to Cuba with the avowed inten
ton of telling Gen. Weyicr that he is there
as member of the House Committee ON
Foreign Affairs, and asking to be put in Il
position where he can obtain personal
knowledge OF the whole situation. Money
made his money as Il lobbyist in Washing
ton too long 10 be called a fool, but lie
ought TO know that any information he
obtains through the assistance of General
Weyler will be just as one-sided as il he
had remained in Washington and asked the
Spanish Minister to give it to him. Such
a visit by a member Of Congress who is also
a member Of the House Committee which
must deal with any Cuban legislation,
while not exactly Illegal, can hardly fail to
strike most people as lacking i'll good taste.
A copy Of the first dispatch sent to Consul
General Lee by Secretary Olney after he
heard about Moneys visit. would make
interesting reading, or l miss my guess.
Moneys applying to General Weyler for
information, in his official capacity, will at
once cause the Spaniards to understand that
Congress doesn't trust the information the
State Department has received through its
Consular officers i'll Cnba, and that the same
inference will be drawn by others is certain.