The Press., 1898-06-30
washington Letter.
washington, June n, 1888.

washington, June ", 1873.
Victory has followed victory from the
day that Gen. Skaters army landed in
Cuba and began the land movement to-
wards Santiago, and news of the capture
of that town may be expected at any time.
although there is possibility that Gen.
Shafter, having gotten all the Spaniards
heavy fertilization of the town, may defer
the big battle until the achievements
whichsare on the way from Newport News
and Tampa shall reach him. 1t Is very
positively stated that Gen. Shafter has no
orders from Washington further than to
capture Santiago, the ways and means
being left entirely to his discretion, and
Gen. Miles, who expects to go to Sant1-
ago in few days, from Tampa, with al
most as many soldiers as Shafter carried
with him, says he il not going to interfere
with Shafter, who he thinks will have
Santiago before he gets there, but to
assume charge of the military operations
of which Santiago after its capture, will
be made the base. Skaters victories
have cost more good American lives ana
blood than the whole war previously, but
that was to be expected. Miracles like
Dewey's victory are not expected to be
duplicated. Men go to war to kill and
to be killed.
The Spanish government should have
the various stories which its censor allows
to be telegraphed from Madrid for bam-
boozling purposes better edited. The
stories that the Cadiz Spanish fleet had
started for Manila to attack Dewey, and
that a new ministry was to be formed to
ask the u. S. for peace, are not even con-
sistent, not to say anything about their
probability. For that Spanish fleet to
get to Manila would take something like
five or six weeks, and 1t would have to
pass through the Suez Canal, where its
movements could not be concealed; and
just as soon as this government was In
formed of its passage through the canal 1t
could send swift fleet across the Atlantic
to give the coast cities of Spain taste of
the war, with the certain knowledge that
Spain would have no fighting ships to op-
pose them. The peace talk is thought to
have been sent with the hope that it
might delay our military operations in
Cuba. If so, a more absurd hope was
never INDUCED in.
Diplomats who know the Spanish
character we'll regard the publication in
Madrid of the statement that the U. S.
had offered Spain terms of peace-Spain
to surrender Cuba and Porto Rico out
right, and to cede coaling stations In the
Philippines and Caroline Islands-as All
indication that Spain is paving the way at
home to asking for peace on the best
terms she can get. They say that the
rigid government censorship of the press
in Spain makes it certain that the state
ment was given out by the Spanish govern
ment Spain will not get peace on as good
terms as these, as it Is certain that she
will not be allowed to retain the Philip
pines under any conditions.
A few of the senate anti's talk about
keeping up the fight against the resolution
for the annexation of Hawaii for an in
definite period but to the old-timers there
are many signs visible Of the early ad-
iournment of congress. AS 1t has become
we'll known that the annexation resolu-
ton must be voted UPON by the senate
before the house will agree to an adjourn
ment of congress, 1t naturally follows
that the signs also point to an early vote
by the senate, possibly during the coming
week. When the vote is taken the reso-
luton will be adopted, and no time will
be lost by the president in formally an
nexing Hawaii. He would like very much
to announce the annexation on July 4.
Although some one hundred and fifty
odd members of the house has signed
request asking that the committee on
rules would report a special order for the
consideration of the currency reform bill,
which was reported to the house recently,
at the present session, the bill will not be
acted upon. AS a result of the very live
" rumpus in the committee on banking
and currency, during which some men,
bers charged others with having been
guilty of sharp practice in submitting the
report which accompanied the bill as
having been approved by majority of
the committee, the committee ordered
the bill to be withdrawn from the house
calendar. The bill now stands as though
1t had never been heard of, so far as it's
official status Is concerned. Should the
war end before the next regular session
of congress meets, as everybody hopes 1t
will, and most persons believe 1t will this
subject of currency reform will be pretty
near the top of the legislative heap al
though until the majority of the senate Is
changed in sentiment it will only be
waste of time for the house to pass bill
anything like this one.
By some extraordinary hustling on the
part Of the bureau of engraving and print
ing, which has broken all records in
amount of work turned out in a given
time, and the temporary use Of postage
stamps in some cases, the embarrassment
that was feared from lack of stamps in
putting the stamp provisions of the war
revenue law into effect july l, will be
avoided.