The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-02-24
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.

NOlnlnS SnOft OF absolute proof
that the sinking of the bat:leship
Maine, in Havana harbor, and the
drowning of more than two hundred
and fifty of its crew a catastrophe
that will cause shudder of horror to
pass over every American every time
Havana harbor is mentioned for many
years to come-was caused by an
accidental explosion on board of the
Maine will save Spain from the lick
ing it has been inviting for some time
at the hands of the United States. In
view of the reports that have reached
this country from time to time of
boasts made by Spaniards in Havana,
since the Maine went there, that at
the first intimation of war between
Spain and the United States they
were prepared to blow the Maine to
atoms with torpedos, and of the
treachery of the late Spanish Minister
towards his great and good friend,
Mr.. Mckinley, it is not surprising
that the suspicion that the destruction
of the Maine was the result of Spanish
treachery should be expressed by
more than half the men one meets.
A nation which could deliberately
plan to surround the house of a
Cuban with several regiments of
troops and coolly shoot down an old
man and his children, in order to kill
a Cuban officer whose sweetheart was
the daughter of the old man, as the
Spaniards recently did in Cuba, would
not hesitate to use any sort of treach-
cry to destroy a warship of nation
it both feared and hated. Mr.. Nc
Kinley processes to regard these sus-
plcions with horror, and expresses the
belief that the investigation now being
made will show them to be without
foundations. 1t is to be devoutly
hoped that his belief will be justified
by the result of the investigation, for
if it isn't, Spain will not only be
driven out Of Cuba, but will be In
danger of being driven out of exist
ence as a nation, by relentless Ameri-
cans bent on revenge.
Congress is disposed to allow the
administration 10 conduct the investi-
cation of the cause of the loss of the
Maine, only asking that it be prompt
and thorough and that its result be
made public as soon as arrived at.
1t having been arranged that
Friday and Saturday of this week
should be used by the House to dis
cuss the Bankruptcy bill, reported as
a substitute for the bill that was pass
ed by the Senate at the extra session,
Car Reed did not find it necessary
to make the House adjourn from
Thursday to Monday, in order to pre-
vent there being private bill day,
which under the rules should be
Friday.
The National Council of the Far
mers' Alliance, once power in the
political world, now scarcely heard of,
was in session in Washington this
week also the annual convention of
the Woman Suffragists, which always
manages to occupy its full share of
newspaper space.
Senator Murphy, of New York,
who has gone home on business, said
before leaving Washington that the
resolution censuring him for voting
for the Teller resolution, which was
adopted by the aid of republican votes
in the New York legislature, was not
worrying him the slightest little bit,
as he had written evidence from
prominent democrats in every section
of the State endorsing his course in
voting for the Teller resolution. He
regards the censure as nothing more
than an attempt by the republicans to
make political capital in the State,
which their party badly needs.
Ex-Gov. Patterson, of Colo, has
been telling his many friends in
Washington that the largely increased
and constantly increasing gold produc-
ton of his State has not altered the
universal sentiment of its people in
favor of the free coinage of silver at
16 tor. He made this prediction of
the next democratic National Conven-
lion "It will be held in Chicago it
will reaffirm the platform of '96, with
out the dotting of an 81" or the cross
ing of "t" it will nominate Bryan
by acclamation, and it will be the
most unanimous National convention
ever assembled in the U. S."
1t was at first intended that the
National Committees of the democra-
tic party, the peoples party. and the
silver republican party should unite in
a Joint address to the voters who are
friendly to the flee coinage of silver,
but as some objection was raised to
that course it was decided that each
committee should issue an address to