The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-24
M'KINLEY TO PUSH THE WAR
EARLY RECONSTRUCTION OF
HIS CABINET PROBABLE
E. v. smalIey Tells About the Con-
dition of Things in Washington
War Sentiment Stronger West
Than East-Believed the Strug-
gle VIII Stimulate Business In
Many Lines.

E. v. Smalley, editor of the North
west Magazine, returned yesterday
morning from Washington, D. c.,
where he has been for the past two
months. In chatting with a G o b e
reporter, Mr.. Smalley said:
There is great deal more war SEN
timent in the West than in the East
In New York nearly all the bankers
and business men were opposed to war
and believed, up to their last minute,
that there would be no war.
Public sentiment drove congress
into it, because each party was afraid
Of the other: each was determined that
the other would not get the credit of
being the war party.
II saw the exciting scene in the
house when one member threw book
at another, and the curious thing about
it was that the members sitting at a
distance from the combatants climbed
on top of their desks and ran along
the tops of the desks to the scene of
the fray. 1t was something never be-
fore witnessed in the house. The mem
bers scrambled up like school. boys.
ut is the general opinion in the East
that the war will last about six months
I expect it to last a year. 1t took this
country two years to whip Mexico,
which was much inferior in strength
to Spain, and whose territory was
contiguous to ours, so that we were
able to invade her at many points.
The war was small affair, and the
United States did not have at any one
time 10000 men together in single
force. The Mexicans had no navy, but
they made plucky fight on land, but
their soldiers were of better fighting
material than those of Spain.
"It is not believed in the East nor
in Chicago that the war will injuriously
~.
trary, it is thought that the rapid dis
bursement of $100.000,000 will have the
effect Of stimulating business in many
lines. Unemployed men will every
where go into service and will not long
er be competitors in the labor market,
so that it is probable that wages will
advance
THE price of wheat is going still
higher, which will be a good thing for
our Northwestern farmers.
1.-THE war will cause an early recon-
struction Of the cabinet, which will give
Mckinley a more energetic and wide
awake set Of advisers than the men he
called on a year ago to become chiefs
of the government departments. Nc
Kinley has been obliged to be his own
secretary Of state, owing to the feeble
ness of John Sherman, and Judge Day
has been practically his chief clerk,
Long, secretary of the navy, belongs
to peace society in Boston, but
fortunately the assistant secretary,
Theodore Roosevelt, is a beligerent and
capable man who has put our ships
into good fighting condition.
Mckinley looks after the war de-
partment pretty closely and has a long
consultation every day with Secretary
Alger
''It is evident already that the presf-
dent is going to push the war with
great energy. In Washington I found
the general belief to be that the policy
Of Spain will be to avoid naval en-
counters and to tire US out by preying
upon our ocean commerce, hoping in
the end to get the great European pow
ers to intervene for peace on the ground
that the war is serious disturbance
to the commercial interests Of the
world
1.-THE only open question now seems
to be whether military expedition
shall be sent at once to Cuba or shall
wait until the yellow fever season is
over. Some of the general officers think
that with careful sanitary. precautions
our troops could make a campaign
without serious losses from fever.
Our patriotic boys who are so eager
to enlist ought to understand that SOL
diering does not always mean battles
and excitement. Most of the volunteers
are like to find themselves cooped up
in hot barracks and old forts along the
seashore with no chance to fight any
thing but heas and mosquitoes. Not