The aegis & intelligencer., 1898-03-11
Warrington Letter.


WASHINGTON March T.-There is no denying
that the present policy of the administration is
aggraYating and CALLING To the average AmerI-
can, regardless OF his political ailiation. 1t is
difficult to understand, when Spain is moving
heaven and earth to borrow IL oney ana to buy
warships to fight us. why we should not be
openly preparing for war 10y having Congress
appropriate the money needed to buy addition
al warships and TO put us on a war footing gen
| orally, instead of pretending that the pre-
parations for war which the administration Is
making, not only to the extent OF aVaiaDIe ap-
preparations hut in anticipation of appropria-
tons, are merely routine proceedings. Weare
not fooling Spain, and 1t seems nonsenslcal
trying to fool ourselves. Mr.. Mckinley knows
Just as everybody else knows, that there isn't
one chance in ten that war will be avoided
| lie knows that the acceptance of blood money
from Spain will not bc Countenanced, and
that peace at any price policy would have no
supporters outside of Wall street and its con-
nections. Knowing these things IT is his duty
to ask Congress to make the necessary appro-
priations to put the country ill Il proper condi-
| ton of defense and to enable it to give Spain
| the thrashng it has been itching for during
the last year or two. 1t is no valid excuse to
| claim that doing so would be "A reflection upon
been casting reflections upon that Court quite
| numerously during the last few days. Bulas
| matter of fact, would it be any more reflection
| to openly ask for the money from Congress TO
make proper and needed preparation for war,
than it is to ue secretly making conditional con-
contracts for the same thing, i'll anticipation OF
appropriations that Congress has not even yet
| been asked to maker There is probably not Il
man in Congress who would ask that IL gun be
| fired in advance of the verdict of the Court OF
| Inquiry, but inasmuch as everybody now
thinks that that verdict will show that the de-
struction of the Maine was not an accident,
| there is little doubt that Il majority OF Con-
| gress would like to see the administration OPEN
| y making ready to fight after that verdict Is
rendered.
Few men in Congress are willing to believe
| the rumors connecting Mr.. Mckineys name
| with the scheme to buy Cuba from Spain.
Some of his advisers may be in the scheme, but
| Mr.. Mckinley ought to know the people of this
| country well enough to know that they would
| bury every man out of sight, politically speak
| ing, who dared to support the necessary legis-
| lat.on to make this country guarantee the
payment of Cuban bonds which would go TO
| the present holders of Spanish bonds. Ii this
scheme is seriously pushed, it will soon be dis
|
people is, millions for the preservation of our
national honor, but not one cent for Spanish
bond holders.
| 1t appears that the friends of Hawaiian an
| nexation are afraid to try TO secure annexa-
| ton by joint resolution, owing TO threats of
the opposition TO keep Congress in session all
| summer, if they do. at secret meeting of
the Senate committee on foreign relations it
| dad tO nal her Nf
the treaty. If that fails as it is expected to do,
| the whole matter may be dropped until the
| next session of Congress.
| Car Reeds latest ruling, that Democrats
shall not when the House is sitting as Com
| mittee of the whole, criticise the administra-
/ ton. the Republican party, or any individual
| Republican, is another step towards the abso-
lutte throttling of free speech in the House, and
| is just as outrageous US any of those in the
| same direction which have proceeded it. From
/ the birth of Congress the custom has been to
| allow the very widest latitude to members
| who made speeches while the House was sit
| ting as the committee of the whole, but this
| new antocratic mumbo jumbo says that no
| Democrat will be allowed to make
political speech, except when the bill
| under consideration Is purely political
| This muzzling rule would be outrageous even
| if it were made to apply impartialy TO all
members of the House, but when applied, US it
| has been, solely to anti-RepU blican members it
is more than outrageous; it is depriving the
representatives of the people of their constitu-
tional right to be heard at all times.
The United States reward has been increased
to 81 800 for the arrest of any person or per-
| sons who were connected with the killing of
the negro postmaster of Lake City, S. c., and
! his child and a number of Government de-
tectives have been put on the case. The mem
bers of the South Carolina delegation in Con-
gress all say that the State authorities are also
trying hard to run down and punish the per-
| petrators of this barbarous crime.