Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-02-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Feb. 81, 1898

How much longer Congress can stand
the strain which has been imposed upon it
by the Sction, or rather non-action of the
administration upon the destruction of the
battleship Maine and the killing Of $50 of
its men, in Havana harbor, without an ex-
plosion, is prohlematical. Mr.. Mckinley
has disappointed many of his supporters,
and nothing but the unwritten law under
which Congress has always supported the
President in all questions of policy affecting
foreign nation has prevented an outbreak
before this. Inasmuch as there are prob
ably not fifty men in Congress who do not
believe that the Maine was blown up in.
tentionally, it is difficult to understand
why Mr.. Mckinley and the Secretary Of
the Navy should SO persstently assert their
belief that the awful calamity was the re-
suit of an accident on board the Maine.
The naval attachee of the Spanish Lega-
ton, has publicly announced the same
belief, and added that the accident was the
result of carelessness and lax discipline. Ye
Gods and this meddlesome fool has not
been sent after de LONE. 1t could haye
been understood if Mr.. Mckinley and his
Secretary of the Navy had said that they
had no opinion to offer in advance of the
finding of the naval court of inquiry,
which has been appointed to investigate
the awful affair, but why they should take
position that is reflection upon Captain
Sigsbee and the other brave officers of the
Maine, is only explainable upon the theory
that they are afraid OF offending Spain,and
that in the event of the failure to find
direct and conclusive evidence that the
Maine was blown up by Spanish treachery,
Captain Sigsbee is TO be made scape-g0at.
1t was the general opinion in Congress that
Mr.. Mckinley should have ordered the
entire q. S. feet, now off the cost of
Florida, to Havana harbor, to remain dur
ing the investigation, but so far, not even a
single warship has been ordered there
Secretary Long says that one will be. Il
is not surprising that the Spaniards should
think and say that we are afraid to send
another WaFshIp to Hayana Up to this
time, Mr.. Mckinley has only done one
thing that has met the unqualified ap-
prevail of Congress, and the indications
point to his having done that under COM
pulsion. That was to refuse to grant the
request of the Spanish authorities at
Havana, to have Spanish diver accom-
pany every American diver who made an
examination of the hull of the Maine.
Just who is entitled to credit for his having
done that has not yet besn ascertained, but
it is certain that somebody is, as Secretary
Long had stated before the official request
reached Washington, bat after it was
known that it would be made, that it
would be granted. Congress doesn't wish
the world to know that it differs with the
President; hence it has SO far done nothing
further than to appropriate 5000 600 to be
used in saving as much of the Maine and
her equipment as possible, but the strain is
terrible, and it is still on.
There is a difference of opinion as to
whether Senator Mason chose just the
right time to make that red hot speech of
bis, and also as to the good taste of some
Of his remarks, which were certainly not
such as would be likely to increase our
prestige abroad. but the truthfullness of the
following is fully apparent Why should
the administration now hesitate? The
President hesitated because of autonomy.
Why should he not act when the minister
mas confessed that it is not real, but fraud
and sham? Autonomy, by the confession
of the Spanish Minister, is fraud, a de-
fusion, and suare-a common confidence
game of common thief, confessed out of
his own mouth" No one could doubt the
contempt felt by Mr.. Mason for Spanish
iiplomates and Spanish diplomacy, after he
said: would not sit down at the same
table with Spaniard unless 1 had an
iron-clad wall between his stiletto and my
architecture. There is nothing in Spanish
diplomacy for a hundred years which prove
them anything but common scoundrels"
Nothing yet seriously proposed in the
line of paternalism goes further than a
joint resolution offered by Representative
Lowering, of Mass, providing for an amend
ment to the Constitution, authorizing Con-
gress to regulate the House of labor in all
the States The hours Judiciary Com
mittee has actually been giving hearings
on that resolution. A delegation of cotton
mill men from the South appeared before
the Committee to protest against the reso-
ution, but they could have saved money
ny staying at home. We may come to that
sort of thing in time, but not yet.
Only twelve Democrats and one Populist
voted for the Bankruptcy bill which passed
the House by vote OF 159 to 124 The
bill passed is a substitute for the Nelson
bill passed by the Senate at the extra SEES
sion, and it provides for both voluntary and
involuntary bankruptcy.