The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1898-07-23
Washington, ID. e., News.
From our Regular Correspondence:
NaShinUton. ,Juiy ir |

| Washington, July IL, 1898. =
I 1t Is now stated that Commo-
dore Watson $ fleet is at once to
start to Spain, but there are, still
those who refuse to believe Z be-
fore it actually goes, and others
who believe that if actually Start
ed, it will go for no other inten-
tion than to scare Spain into ask
Ing for peace. CabIegrams from
! Madrid and other European
points, say that SPAN has already
asked for our terms of peace. but
it l. officially denied in Washing
| ton.
1t is semi-otiicialIy said that no
movement on land against IIava-
ma will be started until fall, ow-
ing to the fear of ycIlow-fever.
and otficially Y stated that the move
mcnt against Porto Rico is to be
started at once. "'At once has
not, however, meant Immediately
in the administration lexicon, in
connection with war movements.
The war has been a very lucky
thing for the Republicans of Hi
nois, for if it had not occurred
they would have been ingIoriousIy
defeated" " That is what Mr..
P. E. Furman, = well-known
democrat of that State, says, and
the same thing will apply equally
as we'll to other States, for it is
as plain as the nose on your face
that the Republicans are going to
make their campaign on the war,
although they deserve no more
credit for the action Of Congress
in voting all the money the ad-
ministration asked for to conduct
the Wal' than do the Democrats
and Popuiists, who voted for all
the war appropriations. As to
the policy Of the party in his
State, Mr.. Furman says: The
Illinois Democrats stand stead
fast by Bryan and free silver,
both Of which they indorsed at
their State Convention the other
day.
The man who claims that any
one party monopoIizcs all the pat
riotisnl i'll this country thus pro-
claims his own ignorance. 1t
seems to be pretty generally un-
derstood in Washington that the
Republican Congressional Com
mittee intends to make the I'M
plication, if not the direct claim,
that Republican patriotism in
Congress was the whole thing
the basis of its campaign docu-
ments this year-an implication
as false as it would be possible to
make. A matter of fact, if any
one party in Congress deserves
more praise than the other for
unseIfish patriotism, it is the
Democrats. Although they know
that the administration being Re-
publican, and majority of the
House being Republican. the sue
cessful conduct of the war would
necessarily be beneficial to the
Republican party, not a single
Democrat hesitated either in adj
vocacy of the'war or in providing
the money to carry it on sue
cessfully. If the action of the
Democrats, and the Populists in
Congress was not actuated by
pure and unselfsh patriotism,
some Republican should tell the
country what actuated those men
who voted for the war. although
fully aware that their votes would
temporarily, at least, be beneti-
cial to their political opponents.
Let the truth be told no matter
who wins.
Brave old George Dewey has
been at it again. Results: des-
truction Of the Spanish fort in
Subig Bay, five hundred prison
ers and a notice, served on the
German Emperor, through the
Commander of the German cruis-
er, Irene, to keep his fingers, out
of the Philippine pie.