The St. Johns herald., 1897-05-29
WASHINGTON LETTER. President McKinley'S Message on the Cuban Question.

nerve? That question has been asked many times within the last two or three
 days. Last week Mr. Mckinley sent
 for the members of the Senate Commit tee on Foreign Relations, and after lay ing before them official communications
 from Consul General Fitzhugh Lee and
 other consuls, showing horrible state
 of affairs in Cuba, announced that he
 had made up his mind to send an imme-
 diate message to congress, recommend ing action for the relief of starving
 American citizens in Cuba, and incl dentally for the aid of Cuba. Before
 the great rejoicing that followed this an
 nouncement had chance to get fairly
 started, MT. Mckinley telephohed to
 the capitol that he had changed his
 mind and would defer the message until
 this week What brought about that
 sudden change of mind is not positively
 known, but differences were drawn from
 visit to the White House of MT. Atkins,
 a wealthy Cuban who makes his home
 in Boston, and who is credited with hay
 ing shaped the Cleveland -Olney Cuban
 policy. Later, MT. Mckinley had a
 conference with the Spanish minister,
 and is said to have asked him ii his gov
 ernment would object to our sending aid
 to starving Americans in Cuba. Just
 think of that! And that is all he now
 recommends. Senator Morgan was one
 of the members of the committee who
 went to see MI. McMinley. He will not,
 of course, discuss the conference for
 publication. but he makes it plain that
 he doesn't think MT. Mckinley intends
 taking a vigorous stand, unless he is
 compelled by congress to do so, and ex
 presses his opinion of this man Atkins
 and his efforts in behalf of Spain in un-
 mistakably plain language. He adds that it is his intention to endeavor to have congress bring the administration to a point where it will be compelled to do something, and that "President Me Kinley must either fish or cut bait in re- gard to Cuba
 Senator Deboe, of Kentucky, seems to be really grateful to Dr. Hunter for hay ing given way for him and then helped him to get elected to the senate. Know ing that Dr. Hunters con est for seat in the senate had nothing more substan- tial to stand upon than the craftsmanship ! of majority of the house, Mir. Deboe has secured the promise of good ap- pointment for Hunter from Mir. McKin- [ ley, and still further to show his grati- tude, he worked the Kentucky contin- gent of republican office-holders and would be office-holders for contributions to the extent of $940, and invested the money in two diamond watches which were duly presented to Dr. Hun ter and his wife, Of course, it is no. body's business if some of the contribu- tors to the watch fund are little behind hand with their board bills They have helped Deboe pay part of his debt of gratitude
 ExCongressman s. R. Mallory. who has been elected by the Florida leglsla- ture to fill the vacancy in the senate from that state, which has existed since March 4, is we'll known in Washington as good fellow and good democrat. He will be cordially welcomed by his democratic colleagues and he will add one more vote to the silver majority al- ready existing Tn the senate.
 The talk of senators on Senator Aliens resolution asking MT. Mckinley not to pardon Chapman, the broker who was sentenced to a months imprisonment for refusing to tell the names of senators who speculated in sugar stock, resulted in change of programme. The sugar trust, as we'll as it's friends in the senate, became thoroughly alarmed and decided that Chapman should serve his term in iail, hoping thereby to hush the talk about new sugar investigation in the senate. The members of the sugar trust who are under the same sort of in- 1ictment will trust to their money and pull to escape jail by legal methods. The past week has been bad one Tn other respects for the sugar trust. It has been demonstrated that the sugar which the trust had attached to the Dingley tariff bill can not possibly be gotten through the senate, not to mention the house. These things have resulted in greater activity on the part of the big sugar trust lobby and money will be spent freer than ever to secure a sugar schedule in the tar if bill, as il finally passes, that will be fairly satis- satisfactory to the trust. Ante-election promises have some of the most promi- nent republicans bound hand and foot to the wheels of the sugar trust chariot.
 The second tariff comparative state ment, prepared by treasury officials for the republicans of the Senate Finance is a little better than the first one, but it is full of inaccuracies, and the charge has been made that the sugar schedule has been purposely mixed up. The democrats will be pre- pared to point out the badness of the bill, as we'll as the errors of the compara- tive statement, by the 24th inst, to which date the opening of the debate was voluntarily postponed by the repub