The St. Johns herald., 1898-06-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Our Correspondent Discusses
 Press Censorship.
rom Our Regular Correspondent

]
 cessiUl in oottliHg up that Spanish flee
 which is fitting around in cuban waters ! as 1t has been in bottling up every parti cle of interesting war news, the end Ol the war would be in sight. Of course, everybody recognizes the necessity of
 keeping news of contemplated move
 ments out of the newspapers, lest their publication should aid the enemy, but there is no good reason why this state of affairs should exist. Had every ca ble from Cuba been cut as soon as war was declared, and the same rigid cen sorship been put into effect upon Euro pean messages tha, is now exercised. Spain could have derived no benefit from the publication of war news by American papers. If the present cen- sorship be followed by results, there will not be much complaint. but if it be merely cloak to hide the blunders of somebody, congress will not long re- main silent.
 Orders have been issued in profusion to our fleets Tn Cuban waters, and there is, of course, general hope that they will succeed in finding and fighting the Spanish fleet-no one doubts that we can lick if we can get at them-but Sec retary Long seems to take it for granted that the Spaniai ds can avoid fight just as long as they may desire to
 Those who for one or another reason are desirous of dragging the war on in- definitely have again been trying to per. sGade Mir. Mckinley to postpone the invasion of Cuba until fall They have got new argument now-that it will take four months to make as much am munitlon as they think the aImy ought to have before being sent to Guba They also ring the changes on the old argument that military operations on q large scale cannot be carried on in Cuba during the rainy season, which usually begins about the IU.h Of June and con tinues for six or eight waeks--aH arsu- ment long ago disposed of by the active campaigns of the insurgents during raj, seasons. If tne statemen abou; ammunition be true, which there Is reason to doubt, there is something rad ically wrong about the war department.
 IL is supposed from the hurrying of vol unteers to the south, that the invasion of Cuba will be pushed at once, but plans have been changed so often that il is difficult to say what will be done.
 CZar Reed has the Hawaiian annexa tionists on the anxious bench The four mem bers of the Committee on Rules are evenly divided and it is for nim to decide whether the committee will re- port special rule for the consideration, of the annexation resolution, withoul which the resolution cannot be brought to vote.
 As sort of answer to criticisms from every direction, it has been semi-offir- ially announced that the Naval War board. popularly known as the Board of Strategy" and spoken of by some irreverent persons as the -''board of iethargy," which is composed of naval officers, has nothing to do with conduct iEg the war, but is merely charged wi tn the duty of advising Secretary Long. This will strike most persons as an at tempt to make distinction where there is no difference. If Secretary Long did not consider the advice of the board worth following, the board would speed ilv be abolished. It would be safe to say that every important order issued by Secretary Long has been upon the advice of this board II would b. the most natural thing in tue world th-. both Mr Mckinley aud Secretary Long neither Of "tom has had ans expert eIra .g uaEe. f-lJIHE should seek fle s.-~,1touIU vi iia, eti OsIICeIs m conduct ing that branch of the war. The unnat i ural thing IS that such a statement 1 should have been allowed to have been | made The Naval War board has cer- i tainly done all the conducting of the l war that has been done from the Wash 1 ingtOn end; if there is any credit, il should not be deprived of it, any more than it should be shielded from criti- cism
 Senator Daniels made one of the strongest speeches yet made against an issue of bonds, and in favor of paying lhe expenses of the war as we go along, rather than saddling them upon poster ity. Replying to the contention that the issue of bonds proposed was intend ed for effect upon Spain, Senator Dan- iels said that if the desired effect could be assured he was ready to vote to issue the bonds "But,' he impressively continued, eff Spain was not convinced at Manila that this country was in ear nest in this war, then Sampson and Schley and Miles and their lieutenants have some arguments to submit to her that will prove to be even more assured vehicles of conviction than any issue of bonds could be- He declared the stamp tax to he the most odious and pestiferous tax invented by man.
 People Believe what they read
 about Hoods Sarsaparilla. They know
 it is an honest medicine, and that it