Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-03-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.

PRESIDENT WILL NOT BE INFLUENCED
BY STORIES. ACTIVITY IN GUN SHOPS.
THE RECIPROCITY TREATY WITH
CUBA.
WASHINGTON, March 21, 1898.
There is no cooler man in Wash
ington than President Mckinley.
although his is the greatest individ-
ual responsibility in deciding what
action shall be taken upon the re-
port of the Naval Court of Inquiry.
That report will probably be receiv-
ed in a day or two, certainly this
week. Opinion differs as to whether
the report will be at once sent to
Congress and made public. Senator
Chandler, whose relations with the
President are such that his opinion
is as good as that of any other man,
said: 'It is barely possible that the
character of the document may be
such as to render it inexpedient to
give it out until Congress can be
gradually made aware of it's con-
tents If, for instance, it indicates
beyond doubt the official culpa.
bility of the Spaniards in connec
tion with the Maine disaster, il
would not be wise to place Congress
in immediate possession of the
facts officially, for fear that war
would be declared instantaneously,
and without due regard for all the
conditions. One thing is certain,
Congress and the public will have
the report at the earliest moment it
can be given out without detriment
to public interest.
Another certainty is, that Presi-
dent Mckinley will not allow him
self to be influenced by any of the
numerous stories as to what Euro
pean nations may think that he
should do, but will act solely in the
| interest of the national honor of
the U. S., without regard to the
,robable approval or disapproval of
lis action by any European power
n powers. The Maine was our
hip, the Court that made the inves-
igation and report was composed of
,ur Naval officers, and it is our af-
fair to take what action we please
upon that report, and we are going
to do it. This is no spreadeagleism,
but plain, everyday patriotism,
which is shared by every American
whose heart is in the right place.
Congress and the country will be
furnished an itemized statement
showing every cent expended from
that special $50, 200, 900 emergency
appropriation, President Mckinley
having directed the preparation of a
of a special form of requisition for
these funds, which must be signed
by the President himself before they
can be honored, and the opening of
u special emergency account in the
books of the Treasury.
The gun shop in the Washington
Navy Yard reminds old timers of
the war time activity in the same
yard but upon a different class of
work. During the war this was
strictly Navy Yard now it is only
Navy Yard in name. its principal
work being the making of guns
some of the finest in the world have
been and are being made here
mountings and ammunition for the
Navy. Not a minute is now being
lost IN the Yard, one of three eight
hour shifts of men being continu-
ously at work.
By far the ablest and most enter.
prising paper the Government has
recently published is the report for
1897 of Hon. A. P. Greeley, Acting
Commissioner of Patents. A syn
opsis has been printed in some of
the newspapers, but, owing perhaps
to so much war news, it was so in
complete rs to give very little idea
of what this valuable document,
which will doubtless be translated
and read by thousands abroad, con-
tains it must be read as a whole to
be appreciated. Inventors, patent
ees, manufacturers, capitalists, and
publicists, who wish to understand
the greatness of American industry
and how indissolubly it is associated
with the patent system of the U. s.,
should read this pamphlet, which
may be obtained free by addressing
a request for it to the Commission
er of Patents, Washington, d. g.
The three Commissioners appoint
cd by the Cuban Cabinet to act with
the Spanish Minister in negotiating
reciprocity treaty to this country
were presented to Secretary Sher-
man to-day, by the Spanish Minister
and later they called on Hon. John
A. Kasson, who has charge of the
interests of this country in all reci-
DrOcitV ne0OtiatiOns Thav av