Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-06-06
Washington, Mag 30tls, 1898.

/ Long are SATISFIED from information
! they have received, official and other
wise, that Commodore Schley has the
| Spanish fleet penned up in the harbor
at Santiago de Cuba, but the invasion
of Cuba will not be ordered until
! Comm odore Schley has officially re-
ported that the Spanish feet is in
Santi ago harbor. This report may be
made any hour. If the Spanish fleet
is there, it will be helpless to do us
any h arm, and will in the end be alb
solutely bound to be captured or de-
stroyed. Although portion of the
volunteer army is still unprovided
with all needed equipments, there are
more than $4,000 men, about three
fourths regulars, ready for embarka-
ton, and they can all be landed in
Cuba within twenty four hours after
orders are issued.
President Mckinley left his work
long enough Saturday afternoon to
visit Camp Alger, on the Virginia side
of the Potomac, near Washington,
and reviewed $4,000 of the 1000 vol
unteers now assembled there; lack Of
equipments prevented all of the men
taking part in the review. President
Mckinley expressed himself as highly
pleased with the spirit displayed by
the men.
This week each of the governors
will be officially notified of the num-
Der of men his state is expected to
furnish on the second call for troops,
by the President last week. There is
no special hurry about enlisting these
rs, 600 men. In the first place, they
will probably not be needed; they
have been called for more to provide
for unexpected contingencies than
because of any pressing need for them
at this time, and in the next place,
there will be no equipment for them
until after those already in service
have been all provided for.
The Memorial Day exercises at Ar
lington and other cemeteries in the
vicinity of Washington were unusually
interesting this year.
What is treason? This question be-
comes of the greatest Importance
when the country is engaged in war.
1t is serious matter to accuse men
of being traitors, but black doesn't
become white because it isn't called
black. In times of peace it was all
right for men to oppose the annexa-
tion of Hawaii because they did not
personally believe that this country
would be benefited thereby; but, now
that the President, his entire Cabinet,
and every officer in the army and
navy whose opinion has been asked,
have declared that tho immediate an
nexation of Hawaii is a military ne
cessity, without which our attempt
ing to hold the Philippine Islands may
be turned into a disastrous failure
and all of the fruits of Dewey's great
victory be lost, it is not all right. On
the contrary, it is all wrong. That
free speech may at times become dan
gerous is shown by the activity of the
sugar trust lobby to prevent Congress
providing for annexation of Hawaii,
Notwithstanding that the administra
ton, large majority of Congress,
and an overwhelming majority of
people were strongly in favor OF an
nexation even before it was declared
to have become military necessity.
If this lobby isn't guilty of treason, it
is dangerously near to being guilty.
From the day that the President de-
clared annexation to be a military
necessity it has been the patriotic
duty of Congress to annex, without
regard to personal opinions of indi-
viduals.
Just as soon as President Mckinley
can get the tin e he will issue an
order, in accordance with an elabo-
rate opinion prepared by Attorney
General Griggs, declaring that the
Government Printing Office never
was legally under the civil service
rules, because it belongs under the
legislative, and not the executive
branch of the government. The same
opinion has operated to put an end to
the movement for the placing of the
Congressional Library under the civil
service rules, because the Library,
like the Government Printing Office,
is Congressional institution. There
are many desirable places in the G. P.
O. now held by democrats.