Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1897-10-29
LETTER.
The Presidents Message Not Yet
Written.

hesign-Piatt's Idea of the Mayoralty
Contest
President Mckinley will not begin
the work of writing his annual
message to Congress until after he
returns from Ohio, whore he will
go this week, to remain until he
casts his vote for tho Republican
ticket, but he is spending consid rlble
time just now in obtaining inforlna-
zion from members of the Cabinet
and in discussing with them matters
that will be treated in the message.
All of the members of the Cabinet
have furnished him with the sub
stance of their annual reports, none
OF which are yot completed.
The administrator is not devot-
ing any time to the consideration of
the answer of the new Spanish
Ministry to Minister Woodfords S
proposition, the full text of which is
now on its way TO Washington, be-
cause the substance of it has been
known for sometime and it has been
fully determined to grant the new
Spanish ministry a reasonable time
in which to try to put its new policy
into effect in Cuba. The only thing
that may change this programme is
the manner in which the Spanish
reply deals with the efforts which
have been made by this government
to prevent the departure of fillibus-
tering parties for Cuba. If the tone
of the answer is what Spanish pub
lications have indicated it to be, it
will be promptly resented by the ad.
ministration, More than $2,OOO,-
900 has been spent by this govern
ment in efforts to prevent fillibus-
tering and to live up to its interna-
tional obligations to Spain, and in
timation that this government has
been negligent will not be tolerated
from from Spain. 1t is thought
that such talk appeared in the Span
ish papers solely for it's effect at
home, and that nothing of the sort
will be found in the official COM
munication.
Secretary Alger will attend the
meeting of the Army Of the Tennes-
see on Wednesday and Thursday of
this week, at Milwaukee. He left
Washington to-day
When a really good idea is made
known the average person of intelli-
gence wonders why it had not been
thought of before An idea of that
kind was laid before the cabinet by
Secretary Gage, and at once met
with general approval, The gov
ernment issued three kinds of paper
money, and the notes of each de-
nomination of each series have diff
ferent designs, which are not only
confusing, but which are taken adj
vantage of by that class of swind-
lers who make a practice of rails
ing notes and passing them in
crowded places on upon ig-
norant and unsuspecting persons.
Secretary Cages idea is to adopt
one design for all the notes of the
same value of the three kinds of
notes issued, and to make that de-
sign so simple and distinctive that it
will be impossible to mistake a one
dollar note for a ten or two for a
twenty, etc The change, which
will probably be put into effect as
soon as the necessary plates can be
prepared, will be welcomed by the
handlers of money in ban IS and
business establishments, to whom
the pictorial silver certificates now
in use are a source of much worry
The resignation of Gen W. W
Duffield as superintendent Of the
Coast and Geodetic Survey has been
/ asked for on the ground of his gem
eral Inoompetency to fill the posi-
ton into which Mr. Cleveland put
him for no other reason than to
please Don Dickinson Charges
against Gen. Dufield were filed
carly in the present administration,
and he would doubtless have been
asked to resign before, had it not
been for the influence of his brother,
who is a prominent Michigan Re
publican.
Senator Platt was in Washington
Saturday, but he said that his visit
had no special political significance.
He spent half an hour with Presi-
dent Mckinley and told him and his
other Washington friends that
things were looking favorable every
day for the election of Gen Tracy
to be the first Mayor of Greater New
York, and that he was absolutely
certain he would win by plurality
of between ten and twenty thou
sand.
Capt. Charles O'Neill, Chief of
the Bureau of Ordinance of the Navy
Department, is opposed to the es-
tablishment of government plant