Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-05-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.


EspE, CORRESPONDENTS OF THE MONITOR.
Washington, April 25th, 1898.
President Mckinley hopes the war
with Spain will be short, but he is not \
allowing his hope to prevent his max
ing all necessary preparations tosfght
it to a victorious end, long or short.
His call for LIE, 900 volunte specifies
that the men shall volunteer to serve
for two years, unless sooner discharg-
ed, and the war revenue bill, prepared
under his direction by the Ways and
Means co mmittee of the House, which
is now before Congress and which
will be put through without any un-
necessary loss of time, is another in
dication of his intention to be pre-
pared for any emergency. 1t pro-
vides for an additional $1OO,O 900
year to the revenues of the country
by internal revenue taxation; for the
issuing of 100000 900 in 3 per cent
bonds, to run for twenty years, or to
be redeemed after ten years at the
option of the government, and au-
thorizing.the issuing of 3 per cent GER
tifcates of Indebtedness by the treas
ury forl any portion of 500, ZOO, 900
that may be needed. Congress is re-
spending to the wishes of the Presi-
dent in a highly creditable manner.
1t promptly passed the bill authoriz-
ing the formation of a volunteer army,
and the bill for re- organizing the reg
ular army, which authorizes it's in
crease to 1000 men, and as soon as
the President asked it declared that
state of war existed.
The blockade of Havana and other
Cuban ports, of which notice was Civ
en- to the world in a proclamation by
the President as soon as Spain virtu-
ally declared war by sending our min
lister away from Madrid, will be main
tanned until Cuba is captured, but no
land operations further than the land
ing of a small force of marines at
some place on the coast and establish
ing of base of supplies for the Cuban
army is contemplated until the 125, 900
volunteers, now being modified, are
ready for embarkation. 1t is impos
sible to say just how soon that will be
some say not more than ten days,
while others whose opinions are emit
tied to weight say it will take at least
a month to get the new army into a
condition to be effective-but no time
is going to be wasted. The men who
are to have charge of the invasion of
Cuba know their business. They are
not going to move until they know that
they can make short work of driving
the Spanish out of Cuba. They know
that the men can be trained and put
into proper fighting condition much
better in the United States than in
Cuba.
Meanwhile the people must not al |
low themselves to become impatient. |
Our navy will, while the army is get
ting ready, continue the work of |
blockading and of picking up Spanish |
merchant vessels, which has been so
auspiciously started by the capture of |
valuable ships. The blockading squad |
ron will not attack Havana for the |
present, unless the forts there first |
attack them. There are all sorts of |
reports as to what Spain is doing and |
is going to do with her warships, but |
it looks as though she is afraid to
send her big fleet of ships to the as
sistance of Cuba, and is keeping them |
on the other side of the Atlantic, !
where their most dangerous occupa
ton until we have captured Cuba will
be the capture Of American merchant |
ships. Our Asiatic squadron has ord
ers which may result in a naval battle |
off the PHILIPPINE Islands.
Hon. Charles Emory Smith, for
many years editor of the Philadelphia
Press, who was nominated and con-
firmed as Postmaster General last |
week, to succeed Hon. James A. Gary
who resigned in consequence of bad
health, took charge of the Post Office |
Department to-day. Mr.. Smith needs
no introduction either to the people |
of the country or to the republican
party. His selection was a genuine
surprise, but the immediate unani- |
nous confirmation of his nomination
by the Senate told that it was pleas
ing one.
Another change in the Cabinet may
be expected any day, as Secretary
Sherman's age and strength will not |
permit him to remain at the head of |
the Department of State during the