The St. Johns herald., 1898-03-26
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Administrat ton at Last
 Moves Vigorously.

The Administration at Last
 Moves Vigorously.
 1 From Our Regular Correspondent
 T. WASHINGTON, March 20, 1898.
 The Washington end ot this nasty Spanish business is now in fairly satis- factory condition. Since congress placed $50, ,000, ,000 at MT. McKinley's disposal, the administration has come out in the open with its war preparations, and no time is now being lost in getting tegeth- CT the fighting material that will be nec- essary to enable us to drive the Span iards off every foot of American terri tory. Although Mr. Mckinley deserved criticism for waiting so long to get started along the right road, it is over looked now, and he is given the praise he deserves for the energetic manner in which he is pushing things. The coCn- try is rapidly being put on a war footing the people have been on war footing for some time.
 No harm is done by Secretary Long's denying that either the president or Yimself has any information as to what the report the naval court Of inquiry will be, so long as there is no let up in the preparations to be in position to act promptly on that reppft which can not be delayed macD/Ionger. There isn't the slightest dOuht that the report will snow that the Maine was destroyed by an outside explosion.
 MT. Mckinley has not told anybody, so far as known, that he intended to couple with the demand he makes on Spain on account of the Maine, another that Cuba should be free, although he has intimated his intention to in some way combine the two things. If he wishes to act in accordance with the dominating sentiment in congress, he will certainly take some means of let ting Spain now when the Maine demand
 is made that this government has stood the dsgraceful condition of affairs in Cuba, just as long as it intends to. ard that if Spain does not at once voluntarily recognize the independence of Cuba, the United States will help the Cubans to force her to do so The talk on this subject among congressman is plain and outspoken, and practically all one way.
 The new Spanish minister talks as though the most important issue be- tween Spain and the United States was the negotiation of reciprocity commer- clal treaty, and says he expects the rep resentatives of the alleged autonomy government of Cuba, who will have charge of the interests of the island du- ring t negotiations, to reach Washing ton in few days. No one believes that such farce as negotiation for reel procity treaty would be, under existing circumstances, will be allowed to begin by the administration, and the minister is pro bahly only ndulging in such talk for the purpose ot trying to impress us with the peaceahle intentions of Span towards us He is wasting time. We know Spain's real attitude toward us- aa attitude that has worked the Amerl- can people up to such pitch that the determination to thrash Spain has be- come universal among us.
 Senator Jones, of Arkansas, voiced the almost unanimous sentiment of con- gress when he sad concerning the re- port that movement had been started with view to bring about an alliance between England and the United States. "I do not think that there is anything Tn the report, for it would be one Of the most foolish things this or any other ad- ministration ever undertook, In the first place, we do not need any alliance to conduct our own quarrels. We are able to take care of ourselves, and an al- Iian.e with some other power, particu- larly those on the other side of the wa ter. would be especially repugnant to the people of this country. 1 am confi- dent there is nothing in it, and if there was, and it should be submitted to the senate, as it doubtless would be, that body would not sanction It."
 Those who had supposed that the fight against the confirmation of Ter renee V. Powderly, to be commissioner of immigration-the price of Powderly's stumping in the presidential campaign. was over are not we'll posted. It is be- ing waged quite briskly, and one of the apparent results is an adverse report from the senate committee on immigra-