Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-04-22
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular Correspondent

WAsHiNGToN, April lS,-It would
seem to a man up tree that the com
plants of Congress recently made of
the slowness of the President was IN
instance of "the pot calling the kettle
black" From the talk in Congress
before the Presidents message went
in it was supposed that the message
would be acted upon within day
after it was received, but it has been
before Congress a week to-day, and
that resolution authorizing forcible
intervention is not yet in the Pres-
dents hands, although it is hoped
that it will be by tomorrow. The
House adopted a resolution promptly,
but the Senate, after wasting four
DAYS in talk without bringing forward
single new idea, unless the assertion
of Senator Wellington that there was
no reason for our going to war with
Spain can be considered one, adopted
an entirely different resolution, in
cludinga provision for the regogni-
ton of Cuba, which makes more de-
lay. These delays would be more
aggrayating were it not for the GER
tainty that they cannot last much
longer and that they cannot change
the ultimate resut-the driving Of
Spain ont of Cuba. While it probably
is not true that these delays are the
result of plotting, it is not surprising
that suspicion should be expressed by
the impatient.
According to statements made byI
members of the administration, the
President will lose no time in putting
armed Intervention into effect after
the Joint resolution authorizing it is
in his hand, and the rushing Of all
available troops in the regular army
to southern ports looks likeimmediate
business; but he will probably first
demand the peaceable evacuation of
Cuba by Spain, granting a day or
two for Spain to answer. That will
mean more time. 1t should also be.
remembered that if the President is
so disposed he can withhold his sigh
AZURE from the Intervention resolution
forten days. The resolution will not
be binding until he signs it. So
many predictions have been upset byI
unexpected delays that few are being
made in Washington Just now. We
are going to war. Ofthat everybody
is certain, but nobody is certain
whether the shooting will start this
week, or next or the week after.
Although no prominent men mi
either party would acknowledge
them to have been necessary, men
who wear their party collars loosely
consider that Senator Gray's words
-"Thcre is one trucc-one armi~ticc
that / want, and thati,a truce be-
tween the political parties Of this.
country until we can settle Our ac-
count with Spaiu-wcre not only
necessary, but that they have had q
good effect on those who have been
trying to play party politics in Con-
ercss during the last few days, by.
causing them to realize that they were
getting on thin ice, and letting them
know that, whatever their intentions,
they were not tooling everybody
Plain Americanism is good enough
for every true patriot until we have
given Spain that long invited thrash
ing, and the politician big or little
who fails to recognize that fact will
be made to pay dearly for his error
by the people.
Among the many offers made to
the War Department Of men and
things to use against the Spaniards
was one from a circus proprietor OF
twenty-five elephants, which he said
would be Just what would be needed
by our army in Cuba. lie did not
ike it at all when the officials told
him that they didn't think they could
make use of the elephants.
If the representatives Of the great
European powers in Washington are
correctly reporting the state Of Con-
gressional sentiment to their govern
ments, nothing is likely to come Of
the renewed talk about the intention
Of the six greatest European powers
to attempt by joint note to persuade
this government not to force Spain
out of Cuba, and ifthat fails to make
threat of resorting to force to COM
pei us to keep our hands off Of
SPANS island possessions. That
Austria, France, and Italy would be
willing to 90 to almost any extreme
to aid Spain, if they could be assured
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