Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-06-15
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent. !

FROM our Regular CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, June 10, 1898. -Presi-
dent Mckinley is determined to rush
the war now that our army as well as
our navy has been gotten into proper
fighting trim. If the capture of San
tiago de Cuba, which may be an
nounced any hour, the heaviest of it's
forts and portion of the Spanish fleet
having already been crushed and our
marines landed; the capture of Porto
Rico, which will occur inside Of ten
days, and the capture of the Philippine
islands does not cause Spain to throw
up the sponge and ask for. peace,
Havana will at once be invested on
land as we'll as on water, and a flying
squadron of our fastest ships may be
sent over to lombard some of the
Spanish coast cities. The delay in
getting the volunteer army ready has
been source of as much worry to
President Mckinley as it has been to
any one else, but he wisely made up
his mind in the beginning that it
should not fight until it was ready to
fight. The greater portion of it is
now ready to fight, and there is to be
no more delay.
The War department has decided
that it would not make public the
quota of men appOrtioned to each
state under the second call for volun-
teers. The governors of all the
states have been notified how MANY
men are to be enlisted from their
states, and as fast as the men are en-
listed they will be assigned to regi-
ments already in the field until all
existing regiments are full. The men
who remain unassigned then will be
organized into new regiments
1t is so generally known that
''Private" Dalzell is always posted on
the existing sentiment in Ohio that
when he came to Washington this
week-he says his visit is merely
to see his daughter, who lives in
WashingtOn-One Of the first questions
asked him was what Ohio folks
thought of President McKinley's con-
duct of the war as far as it has gone
and Of his administration generally.
Here is his reply to one of these ques-
TONERS: You cannot tell anybody
in Ohio anything about Mckinley.
They know him from the ground up
and have every confidence in his
integrity and ability, and no patience
with the carping criticism which calls
his policy of conservatism and sound
sense a Fabian policy Of mastery in
activity. Give him time enough and
he will give the country just what
they elected him fOr-an administra-
ton to be proud Of"
Ambassador Hay has forwarded to
the State department a pamphlet
on the undeveloped mineral wealth
of the Philippine islands, which is
particularly interesting at this time,
in view of American occupation of
these islands. The following para
graph is from the pamphlet: Il
know of no other part OF the world,
the Alaska Treadwell mines excepted,
where pay ore is found within a few
hundred yards of the anchorage Of sea-
going vessels. There is no brook
that finds its way into the Pacific
ocean whose sand and gravel do not
at least pan the color of gold. Heavy
nuggets are sometimes brought down
from the sierras, where, [ believe,
there are promising fields for hydrau-
lie mining. Alluvial gold is also got
in the island of Mindanas, especially in
the districts of Surigao and MiSamis,
on its northern coast. Extensive de-
posits Of copper ore are found in
Luzon, which will probably prove re-
munerative when means of transport
have been devised. Galena, both auri-
ferrous and argentiferous, is found in
veins in LuzOn and Cebu, sometimes
accompanied by zinc blends"
The treasury department has de-
cided that the first issue of bonds
authorized by the war revenue act
shall be for 5000, OO0,O0O and that
preference will be given in selling
them to those who wish s., 900 or less.
Every national bank, every post
master at a money order Office, and
the agents of several express com
panies will be authorized to receive
bids at par for the bonds. President
Mckinley would be glad to see the
entire loan taken in small amounts by
the people, and no amounts in excess
of 81, 900 will be allotted until the
smaller investors have had thirty days
in which to secure all they wish.