Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-06-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June 81, 1898


WASHINGTON, June 81, 1888
Gen. Skaters army, by its victories in
every engagement that any portion Of il
has had with the Spaniards since its land
ing in Cuba, is demonstrating to the world
what we knew all the time; that the
American soldier is no whit behind the
American sailor in fighting qualities, and
as fighter the American sailor has never
been surpassed. Skater has driven the
enemy into the main Notifications sur
rounding Santiago, and if he is not inter-
fered with from Washington will soon
capture the town by assault. For the first
time during the war we have had con-
siderable number of killed and wounded,
but every man who volunteers to fight
knows that he must take his chances.
It is claimed by friends of the Admins
tration that Shafter is being allowed to
conduct the campaign against Santiago In
his own way, without orders from WASH
ington, but there have been several things
said and done by members of the Admin
istration which have been sufficient TO
cause a doubt of that claim to be enter
tanned, and if it turns out that Shafter
waits for the reinforcements that have been
sent, and are to be sent him before attack
ing the main Notifications at Santiago, 1t
will be very safe to wager that the delay
will be the result OF Washington orders.
For some mysterious reason the Admins
tration has become alarmed less the garri-
son at Santiago should prove strong enough
to defeat an attack by Shafter, and MEM
bers of it have publicly expressed the
IL 1,o
attack until the reinforcements reached
him This feeling was SO strong that
arrangements were all completed to send
Gen. Miles to Tampa for the purpose of
taking about $4,000 troops to Santiago, but
for some equally mysterious reason Miles
did not CO. Some say that Miles feared
that he would be charged with trying to
pilfer glory that properly belonged to
Shafter, and persuaded the Administration
to change its plans-nOt a difficult task, in
view of its habit of making changes from
day to day.
Such nubbub has been raised among
the Republicans of the House by the
manner in which that alleged Currency
Reform bill was reported to the House
from the committee on Banking and
Currency is openly charged by
some of the committeeman it has been
found necessary to recall the bill from the
calendar, in order that radical changes may
be made in the wording of the report and
Of the bill. Many of the Republicans of
the House were unwilling to be so strongly
committed to the perpetuation of the
single gold standard as this bill and report
made them, on the eve of Congressional
campaign. Some of them say, with a
wink, that after the election the bill can be
taken up and passed without danger.
The announcement that ex-senator
Black burn, of Kentucky, is to be a
Brigadier General in the volunteer army
was positive pleasure to many persons,
for few, if any, ever made more warm
gress than Joe" Blackbu did
TIE Senate committee on Claims has
begun the investivagation directed by
resolution of the Senate as to the payment
to lobbyist of a large presentage Of the
$286,000 recently paid to the Southern
Methodist book concern, by act of Con-
gress, for war damages to its property at
Nashville, Tennessee. The investigation
was dead easy, as Mr.. Barbee, agent of the
book concern, told the committee that 35
per cent of the money received had been
paid to Mr.. Stahlman, who had been the
attorney at Washington of the book con-
Germ and he added that he considered
the employment of an attorney to aid in
pushing the settlement of the old claim
was matter that concerned only the book
concern, and that he had not at any time
considered himself under any obligations
to inform Senators or others of the
nature of the contract made with the
attorney Mr.. Stahlman, the attorney,
told the committee that he had received
the pay for his services, and that he did
not mention the nature of his contract
while the matter was pending in Congress,
because TO have done so would have been
to prejudice the claim, and to prevent its
being voted upon on IFS merits Those
two witnesses appear to have told the
committee everything it was directed to
find ont. There is some curiosity to know
whether the committee will recommend
any action, and if SO, what. If it be a
crime to employ an attorney to lobby a
claim through Congress, about every clai-
mant who has had or now has claims
before that body has been or is guilty.
1t will be seen this week whether the
thirty-od Senators who are opposed to
the annexation of Hawaii can succeed in
preventing the fifty-odd Senators who
favor annexation getting the annexation
resolution to vote. The screws are being
put on by the majority. Some OF the
opponents of annexation frankly admit
that they will not aid in ihbustering to
prevent vote, but others still say that
they will resort to any sort of tactics to
stave off a vote. Butting ones head
against brick wall is neither pleasant nor
profitable, and the chances are that the
opposition will gracefully throw up the
sponge and allow the resolution to be
adopted without attempting lengthy
flibuster, after they haYe all had their say
against annexation.