The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-10-13
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

that the battleships Oregon and Iowa
are being held at New York until it is
known whether the Spanish Peace
Commissioners will refuse to accept
our terms of peace, in order that they
may, in that event, be available to ac-
company fleet to the Coast of Spain
to do some more fighting, and says
that the battleships will start during
the present week for Honolulu, just
as they were ordered to do as soon as
they get ready. As a matter of fact,
no member of the administration has
the slightest doubt as to the accept
ance of our terms and the negotiating
of q treaty of Peace by the Peace Com
mission, now sitting at Paris, although
they expect the Spanish Commission
ers to splutter and delayldoing so as
long as they consider it safe to do so.
The Spanish Commissioners are not
fools; they can see the inevitable as
well as all the rest of the world can.
The whipped nation always has to
bow before the conquering nation.
A number of Washington labor or
CARNATIONS are openly regulating
the attempt of certain labor organiza
tions, controlled by democrats, to
make it appear, through misleading
publications, that the organized la
Dor of Washington is opposed to the
reelection to Congress of Representa-
tive Babcock, of Wis. Among the
latest to act was the Eccentric Engi-
neers. The resolution adopted by this
association arraigned the attack by
Mr.. BabcOck as mean and contempti-
BILE and said that it should be de-
nounced by all labor organizations
which believed in justice. 1t closed
as follows: I'VE have always found
in the Hon. Joseph w. Babcock, a
friend ever ready and willing to ad-
vance every matter presented by the
representatives of this organization
for the best interest Of all classes 1t
is Mr.. Babcock's great success as
Chairman of the Republican Congress
sional Campaign Committee that has
aroused the democrats into making
extraordinary efforts to prevent his
election. He says he is absolutely
certain of reelection, and he never
makes predictions on guess work.
1t is semi-Oflicially announced that
al thousand Federal positions, which
were placed under the civil service
rules by Mr.. Cleveland, for no better
reason than to keep democrats in of
flee. will not be issued, until after the
Congressional election. The war pre-
vented the issuing of this order sew
eral months ago, and President Ne
Kinley is averse to issuing it now, be
cause he knows that the democrats
would charge him with doing so for
effect on the CongressiOnalCampaign,
if he did.
The arrangements for President and
Mrs. Mckinley's trip to the Omaha
Exposition was sadly Interfered with
by the killing of Mrs McKinley's
brother at Canton, Ohio. The Pres
ident and Mrs Mckinley left Wash
ington Saturday night to attend the
funeral, after which the President
will join the party and proceed to
Omaha, in accordance with the origi-
nal programme. 1t is probable that
Mrs. Mckinley will remain at Canton,
although she may decide to accom-
pany the President.
Before leaving Washington, Presi-
dent Mckinley signed an order au-
thOrizing the free admission to all Gu
ban ports, in possession of the L. S.
of oxen for work purposes, animals
for breeding and for food supplies,
plOws and all agricultural implements
except machinery. This order, as yet
applies to only few ports, but it will
apply to all Cuban ports very shortly
as the Spaniards are to be hurried
out of Havana and the other ports
they still control. The order is in
tended to help the Cubans by an i'm
mediate resumption of agriculture.
Advices received by the War De
partment say that the Indian upris-
ing in Minnesota is under control and
that no further trouble is anticipated.
Instead of being Inundated by the
testimony given before the War In
vestigation Commission, as his enc
mics hoped he would be, Secretary
Alger has every reason to feel proud
of what the witnesses, including such
men as Gems. Joseph Wheeler, Fitz-
hugh Lee H. V. Boynton, and f. V.
Greene have said of the management
of the War Department. The war
veterans on the commission have been
greatly surprised to learn that in
many cases published in the yellow
journals, as inficting great suffering
and hardships on the troops, the sol
diers had more OF almost everything
than their own men had at numerous