The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-07-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
(From Our Regular Oorresy ondent.l
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 90, 1898.


knees and supplicstes for peace. The
combined army and navy expedition for
the capture and occupation of PJrto
Rico, under command of Gen. Miles and
Admiral Sampson, has started, and ear.
" next week Old Glory will be perma.
nently planted on Porto Rican soil How
soon San Juan, the principal fortified
port of Porto Rico, will be captured will
depend upon circumstances. It will he
attacked simultaneously by the army
and navy, but it is the desire OF Presi.
dent Mckinley that it be taken with rs
little loss of life as possible on our side,
and for time the fighting may be con
fined to the heavy guns, but if they do
not force an early surrender it will taken
by assault.
Commodore Watson's fleet has, it is
believed, started for Spain, to give the
Spaniards little taste OF war at home,
although that fact has not been officially
announced.
The stories OF friction between our army
and the Cuban insurgents under Garcia
are doubtless much exaggerated, but
there is some trouble over there. Off,
cials in Washington have no fear, how
ever, that it will become serious enough
to worry over. There may be few hot
heads among the Cubans who favor op
posing the putting in effect Of the 8.
military government of Santiago, but
they are not numerous enough to make
themselves felt. That the insurgents
were habitual liars has been known ever
since we began to investigate their
statements concerning their own strength
of the Spanish in Cuba, and during the
Santiago campaign they displayed an
utter disregard for the rules of civilized
warfare, by killing prisoners and loot
ing the property of non combatants; al.
80 their unfitness to be soldiers by n.
fueing to obey orders. In view of these
things it is not strange that the insur.
gents should have been kept out of San
tiago, which will until further notice re
main under military government. The
insurgents don't like our plans, as they
had gone 30 far as to name a governor
for Santiago in advance of the surrender,
but President Mckinley intends to do
the right thing, regardless Of their dis.
likes.
In accordance with an act of Congress,
every company in the U s. army will be
supplied with cook, just as soon as the
proper men can be enlisted and sent to
the army. These company cooks will
rank rs corporals.
There is much talk in ordnance circles
about plan for the use of dynamite
shells in any cannon and with ordinary
charges of powder, which Mexican, W.
8. Isham, has asked the privilege OF
demonstrating under government au-
spices. He has letters from Mexican
officials, and from Gen. Powell Clayton,
U. 8. Minister to Mexico, who witness.
ed two tests on the plan, pronouncing
them successful All the dynamite guns
now in use have long air tube to act as
a cushion, and that to be specially con.
structed.
Owing to the numerous donations to
the government, to help pay the expen-
ses of the war, it has been found neces-
sary by Treasury officials to open an &C.
count under the head of donations to
the Government" These donations are
of various amounts, and are nearly al.
ways accompanied with letters bristling
with patriotism. One man, an EN-
ploye of the Treasury, gives $50 q month
as long as the war lasts; an English
man send half guinea from London as
practical evidence of his sympathy; q
number of lodges of the Junior Order of
United American Mechanics have sent
contributions, and Polish Jew, residing
at Plattsmouth, Nebraska, sends $50 be-
csuse he wished to do something to help
and was too old to fight.
No news received in Washington this
week gave more pleasure to President
Mckinley than the reports from the
army surgeons to the Surgeon General
on the progress Of the yellow fever in
Gen. Skaters army. According to
those reports, the fever 10 we'll in hand,
and is OF such . mild nature that few
have died, and the general condition oi
men ID good.
The Navy Departments aocumulatins
smoksless powder ct the rate Of more
than 5000 pounds day, and in . very
short time al our ships will b supplied
With Il. The War Department y alsc