Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1898-06-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From orr Regular CoTe&poHdcntJ
WASHINGTON, May SO, 189

formation they have received, I
official and otherwise, that Com
modore Schlcy has the Spanish
feet penned up in the harbor at
Santiago harbor. II the Spanish
fleet is there, it will be helpless to +
do us any harm. and will in the .
end be absolutely bound to be
captured or destroyed. Although .
a portion of the volunteer army is .
still unprovided with all needed /
equipments, there are more than
-, 600 men, about three-fourths .
regulars, ready for cmbarkation,
and they can all be landed in Cuba .
within twenty-four hours after
orders are issued.
President Mckinley left his work
long enough Saturday afternoon to
visit Camp Alger, on the Virginia
side of the Potomac, near Wash
ington. and reviewed 1900 of the
10000 volunteers now assembled
there; lack Of equipments pre-
vented all of the men taking part
in the review. President Nc
Kinley expressed himself as highly
pleased by the spirit displayed by
, the men.
This week each of the governors
will be officially notified of the
number of men his state is expected
to furnish on the second call for
! troops, by the President last week.
There is no especial hurry about
enlisting these 70, 900 men. In the
first place, they will probably not
be needed; they have been called
for more to provide for unexpected
contingencies than because of any
pressing need for them at this
time, and in the next place, there
will be no equipment for them
until after those already in service
have been all provided for.
The Memorial Day exercises at
Arlington and other cemeteries in
the vicinity Of Washington were
unusually interesting this year.
What is treason? This question
becomes of the greatest Importance
when the country is engaged in
war. 1t is q serious matter to
accuse men of being traitors, but
black doesn't become white be-
cause it isn't called black. In
time of peace it was all right for
men to oppose the annexation OF
Hawaii because they did not per-
sonally believe that this country
would be benefited thereby; but,
now that the President, his entire
Cabinet, and every officer in the
army and navy whose opinion has
been asked, have declared that the
immediate annexation of Hawaii is
a military necessity, without which
our attempting to hold the Philip
pine Islands may be turned into a
disastrous failure and all of the
fruits of Dewey's great victory be
lost, is not all right. On the con-
trary it is all wrong. That free
speech may at times become dam
gerous is shown by the activity of
the sugar trust lobby to prevent
Congress providing for annexation
of Hawaii, Notwithstanding that
the administration, large majority
of Congress and an overwhelming
majority of people were strongly in
favor of annexation even before it
was declared to have become a
military necessity. If this lobby
isn't guilty of treason, it is danger
ously near to being guilty. From
the day the President declared an
nexation to be d military necessity
it has been the patriotic duty of
, Congress to annex, without regard
to personal opinion of individuals.
just as soon as President Nc
Kinley can get the time he will
issue an order, in accordance with
an elaborate opinion prepared by
Attorney General Griggs, declar-
ing that the Government Printing
Office never was legally under the
civil service rules, because it be-
, longs under the legislative, and
E not the executive branch Of the
government. The same opinion
has operated to put an end to the
i movement for the placing of Con-
, gressional Library under the civil
, service rules. because the Library,
like the Government Printing
Office, is a Congressional institu-
. ton. There are many desirable
| places in the G.. o. P. now held by
a democrats, .
q Paymaster General Stanton has
made plans which will ensure the
regular payment of the troops sent
to the Philippine Islands. Pay
masters supplied with money
q enough for three months pay ac-
q companied the troops which have