The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-10-20
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

cans at home that control of the next
House might be lost, but from coming
thoroughly alive to the necessity of
getting out the full vote and keeping
control of the House, so that when
the Senate becomes republican. as it
will after the fourth Of next March,
both branches of Congress will be in
condition to put through the nee
essary legislation to carry out the
domestic policyof the administration,
which will continue the prosperity
that the country is now enjoying, as
well as show the world that the coun-
try is behind President McKidley in
carrying out the new foreign policy
made necessary by the results of the
war, just as it was behind him in the
conduct of the most successful war in
all history. The country knows just
what the republican party offers it,
both at home and abroad, while no
body knows what the democratic
party would give it, further than that
newal of the uncertainties which were
so disastrous to our commercial and
industrial interests during the last
Cleveland regime. There has never
been any doubt during this campaign
as to the feeling of the majority of
the voters; only fear that a feeling of
over security might result in too
many republicans not taking sufiic-
lent interest to make sure of success
in the Congressional campaign.
Thanks to hard and intelligent work
on the part of the party leaders that
fear is daily being lessened, and bids
fair to entirely disappear before
election day.
The Treasury Department has
granted a request made by General
Franco Sanchez, commander of the
insurgent army at Mayari, Cuba,
that one hundred thousand pounds
OF tobacco, captured by that army,
be admitted to the United States free
OF duty, in order that it may be sold
for the benefit Of the men under Gen.
Sanchez, who are in need of almost
everything.
The commission engaged in investi-
eating the conduct of the war, which
has started for Jacksonville, Fla.
where the work of hearing witnesses
in the camp Twill this week be inaug-
urated, was preceded by the ringing
assertion of Gen. Dodge, chairman of
the commission, that the commission
would see that every witness was
protected who had anything to tell
that might arouse enmity on the
part of his superior officers. These
words of General Dodge are all the
answer that is needed to the senseless
charge that witnesses have been
afraid to tell the commission what
they knew. There has been 10 such
fear on the part of any witness. but
there has been wide differences in tbe
stories told to the commission and
those published as having been told
by the same witnesses to yellow jour
mails. notable case of this sort was
that of DR.. Seaman, who arrived in
New York, from Porto Rico, last
week, and whose alleged sensational
statements to yellow reporters caused
him to be summoned to Washington,
by telegraph, to testify before the
commission.
American furniture is getting con
troll of even such far away markets
as South Africa. In report to the
Department of State Consul General
j. q. Stowe, at Cape Town, says the
value of American furniture imported
into South Africa in 1897, was $254,-
$1,000, being second only to Great
Britain and ahead of Germany, and
that Americans can easily control the
market, if our manufacturers will
ship their furniture "knockdown"
and so made that it can be put to-
gether easily, numbering each cor
responding piece. Concluding Mr..
Stowe said "There is no fault with
the prices charged by American man
ufacturers, even with the duty added;
but it is the excessive freights on
account of bulk, and the difficulty of
putting together, shipped knock
down, of which the dealers complain"
The presence in Europe of some of
the yellow correspondents who did
the tallest lying during the war with
Spain, accounts for many of the SEN
satiOnal stories from Paris about dead
locks in the Peace Commission, the
probability of European interference
in the negotiation in behalf of Spain,
and other equally silly fakes. Euro
pean interference III behalf of Spain
might have been a serious thing in
the beginning of the war, and there
were really some reasons for fearing
some attempt of that sort, but, hav-
ing let that opportunity go by with
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