Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-11-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
IFT0m our Regular corresponding
WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 1898.

Although it has taken the Peace Com
mission, at Paris more than month to get
down to the single question it was formed
to settle,-the disposition of the Philip
pines it would be safe wager that it will
not take three week more to flush the
business. This may seem a rash state
ment, in view of the apparent deadlock OF
the Commission, caused by the refusal of
the Spanish Commissioners to agree to sur
render the Philippines upon the terms of
fered by our Commissions If that dead
lock were real, it would be a rash state
ment, but it is not. There are the best of
reasons for the belief that this apparent
dead lock is dummy, trotted out for ef-
feet, and that the Congressional campaign
being over, and the administration no
longer having a reason for delaying the
negotiation of the treaty, the Commits
sioners will verv speedily agree upon the
amount of money that we are to pay Spain,
and finish up the treaty. Although the
treaty will say that we pay this money to
Spain for the Philippines others will re-
gard it as paid for other purposes. inssmuch
as the Philippines are ours by right OF cap
ture. This idea of the victorious nation
paying indemnity to a conquered nation,
has only one thing to commend tit is
0riginal-but that isn't likely to make ii
popular There will be some sharp talk on
this subject il Congress, this winter, and
it will not all come from Democrats, either.
If Lieutenant Hobson, who is still in
Washington, has any of the superstition
which most persons raised in the South
have, he probably regards himself as hav-
ing been hooded. He had hardly re-
covered from the Touchdown given him by
the Navy Department when it refused TO
allow him to continue his efforts to save
the Spanish warships, sunk off Santiago,
when the news reached Washington that
the Maria Teresa, the Spanish cruiser raised
under his direction, had foundered in a
storm, while on its way to New York.
There is much real regret over the loss of
this fine ship, estimated to be worth $2,000,-
900, but there are Naval Oficials-high
ones-who regard the loss with compla-
cency, because the vessel would have been
a constant reminder of Lieutenant Hobson,
who has, they think, already received en-
tirely too much glory for his work. Hob
son can't talk about the way he has been
treated, but some of his friends can and do
most emphatically.
The fact that the members of the Fourth
Ohio Regiment would get home in time to
vote was made apparent by Mr.. Mckinley g
treatment of them. The regiment which
was brought all the way from Porto Rico,
by special order of the President to get
their votes in, was stopped in the Washing
ton for the purpose Of being given recep-
ton in the White House. The regiment
was first reviewed from the White House
portico, and was then received in the East
Room by Mr. Mckinley, who shook hands
and exchanged a word or two with every
member. 1t is the first time that any
President ever accorded such an honor to a
body of soldiers as large as a regiment, but
then, you know, Mr.. Mckinley regarded
their votes as being necessary in Ohio. and
hoped that he might catch the Democratic
membership Colonel is a Demoerat-by
paying them unusal attentions
Belva Lockwood, once Presidential
candidate and for years, sort of lawyer
and claim agent, has been telling some
other women exactly what brought on the
war. She said it was all the wicked news
papers, and attempt to prove the asser-
ton. The following extract is fair sample
of her speech "There was no need of the
late war, and but for the press, it would
never have bIackened the pages of our his
tory. There was nothing but what
could have been settled by peaceful mea
surers, by the President and his Cabinet.
Yet there were legislators who burned for
glory and longed for fight, and these, egged
on by the press, which printed all their
wild utterances. brought about declara-
ton of war. Then we forget our civiliza-
ton, and from reading the papers, we
thought it would be glorious to butcher
our fellow men and great to whip Spain
The papers continually piled the terrible
fuel on the flames, until five year old
children were impregnated with desire
to kill, and ran about the streets stoning
every thing which bore any relation to
Spain" There was more of the same sort,
but this was enough to show how fortunate
this country is not having Belva Lock
wood for President.
OF course the army officers know better
than to talk for publication about such
things, but among themselves some do not
hesitate to say that Gen. Lawton's testi-
mony before member of Mr.. McKinley's
alleged investigating Commission, which
was extremely Mandatory of the War De-
partfnent's management of the Santiago
campaign, might have been very different
had General Lawton not expected to be
named to supercede General Graham,
who was without warning deprived of
his command as Commander of the End
Corps, station at Camp Meade, Pa.