The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-08-04
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, July 2oth, 1898.
From our Regular Correspondent.

never had more need for all their wits
than now that Spanish trickery has
made start, through the French Am
bassador, for the opening of "negotia-
tions" for peace. They have got to
remember that while no European
power would dare to fight the U. S.,
there are several of them that would
be only too glad to aid Spain in get
ting the best OF us through diplomacy,
and if Mr.. Mckinley consents to
make the terms of peace subject to
negotiations" there are numerous
ways in which it might be done.
There are men in this country, especi-
ally those who have connections with
the great European financiers who
have money invested in Spanish bonds
that are secured by Cuban revenues,
who would be only too glad to have
chance to try to save something out
of the wreck by having the terms of
peace arranged by diplomatic negotia-
tlons. 1t is not a case for negotia-
tion. Senator Morgan correctly stat
ed the case when he said: 1t is the
duty of Spain, if she wants to make
peace, and that means if she wants to
surrender, to ask terms of the U. S.,
and state what she will be willing to
accept. Spain, having lost the con.
troll of her colonies because of her in
competence, either to govern or to
defend them, the u. S. ought to ac-
cept nothing except full and CON-
plete surrender of the sovereignty of
all of these islands, from Porto Rico
to the Philippines. To make treaty
with Spain to which Cuba becomes a
party by being an agent in the negotia-
tion of the treaty or being provided
for in the treaty itself will lead to
embarrassment and complications in
the future. The war has not yet
progressed to that stage in which the
people of Spain, or even the Spaniards
in Cuba, have realized the fact that
the U. S. has power to suppress
Spain utterly if 1t should choose to do
So"
There is much anxiety to know how
Mr.. Mckinley will meet the Spanish
peace play, ard fear is expressed that
his desire to bring the war to close
may cause him to get caught in some
diplomatic trap that may cost this
country whole lot of money. The
people have been able to extract a
great deal of satisfaction from the
victories we have won from the Span
iards on land and on water, but when
men who are honest and above board
get to negotiating with r1en whose
knavery is byword all over the world,
the result is seldom satisfactory to
the honest man. A good motto for
the administration just now would be
"No negotiations, but unconditional
surrender" If Spain won't accept
that now, we can soon whip her into
doing so.
The news from Gen. Miles is en-
tirely satisfactory, as far as it goes.
He had no trouble in landing on
Porto Rico early this week, without
the loss of a man, and his force Is
being daily increased by new arrivals.
The expectation at the War Depart
ment is that he will get his campaign
actually started within week.
Admiral Simpsons report of the
fight that resulted in wiping out Ger
vera's fleet was received by the Navy
Department and made public this
week. 1t is more satisfactory to
Commodore Schley's friends than was
the cablegram sent the day of the
fight, which seemed to indicate an
intention on Simpsons part to appro-
PIRATE to himself credit that properly
belonged to Schley. His official re-
port does not take anything away from
Schley to which he is entitled, but it
seems to indicate an unwilliness to
give him all that he earned by the
caring manner IN which he fought the
Brooklyn against ships that were her
superiors in armament. However,
Schley gives no sign of this in his re-
port to the Admiral, unless his refer
ence to the victory being "big enough
for all of us" was SLY dig at Sampson.
A notable feature of the reports of
Commodore Schley and Captains
Evans and Clark was their high praise
of the officers and crews of the Brook
lyn, Texas and Oregon for their con-
duct in the battle.
Official dispatches from Gen.
Shafter bear out the contentious of
those who have been claiming right
along that the cases of yellow fever in
our army were much more numerous
than anything given out by the War
Department indicated. More than
24oo OF Skaters men, about ten per
cent. OF them are now down with the