The Press., 1898-08-18
Washington Letter.
wAahington, August ls. lsp

Washington Letter.
 Washington, August l5, lsDsA
 Although Spain has accepted our terms of peace and there Is not likely to be any more fighting unless there should be a dead lock In the peace commission over the disposition of the Philippines, the ex- penditures of this government are likely to be quite As heavy, If not heavier, for some time to come as they were while the war was going on. This may sound d little queer, but 1t is easily explained. The expenses of the army will not be les sened until we begin to muster the troops out of service, and that is a matter not even yet thought of, as we shall have to garrison Porto Rico and Cuba; the latter quite heavily, for nobody knows how long, and the expenses of the navy will be in- creased, instead of lessened. as orders have already been issued to overhaul all of our heavy fighting ships as quickly as the work can be done. In addition to these expenses, the president has decided that 1t Is our duty to feed everybody In Cuba that needs food, including the Span ish soldiers, until such time as they can feed themselves, and government ratiOns are already on the way. A strict account will be kept of all food furnished Spanish soldiers in Cuba, and Spain will be made to reimburse us, but the rations issued to others in Cuba, will simply be charged up to war expenses, and from all accounts, 1t will not be q small sum that will have to be expended for that purpose. All these things combined will make our peace ex- penses heavier than our war expenses, for time.
 The military commissions to arrange for the time and method of Spanish evac- uation of Cuba and Porto Rico will at once be appointed, but 1t Is likely to be months before the last Spanish troop leaves Cuba. In Porto Rico there are fewer of them and they will probably evacuate that island in few weeks. For reasons en- tIrely selfish, the health of our own troops-we will not hurry them out of Cuba. It Is admitted on all sides that this government will have several difficult problems to solve in Cuba, not the least of which will be tho satisfactory disposal of insurgents. An official thoroughly famil- iAr with the insurgents says,"It will be much easier to issue proclamation d. reoting all Cubans to resume their ordi- nary occupations, than 1t will be to get the motley aggregation known as the insur- gent army, to give up their arms and take to peaceful occupations. Soldering in their free and easy way, and taking what ever they wanted wherever they found it, has boon the ordinary occupation of many of them for years. and 1t would be as easy to round up m equal number of American hoboes and make them adopt e regular occupation, as 1t would be to make order ly workmen out of the insurgents. There are many of the insurgents who will, in my opinion, become brigands, rather than to work for living, just as a number of them did Rt the close of the last Cuban in- surreetion. If they do, they will make no end of trouble for our army of occupation, As the mountains of Cuba are difficult of hooaas, except to the natives, and the na- tives who do not join the brigands cannot be depended upon to render the slightest assistance to any movement against them. It Is n great pity that the presidents word prevents the U. s. annexing Cuba at once there isn't the slightest doubt about it's coming to that in the end. Meanwhile there will be lots of trouble in Cuba, as we try to live up to our promise, that the island shall have a stable government. It h.A A will ever exist In Cuba, except that of the U. s. and feel certain that nine out of every ton property holders on the island, regardless of their nationality, hold the same opinion"
 There Is very little probability that an extra session of the senate will have to be called to ratify the treaty of peace that is to be negotiated with Spain, for the very good reason that the treaty is not likely to be ready before congress assemblies for the regular session, In December. The protocol or temporarily peace agreement of the two governments, provides that the joint commission, charged with the duty of negotiating the treaty, shall meet at Paris, not later than October 1, next  The well-known disposition of the Spanish to postpone, makes it practically certain that the commissioners representing Spain will not be there a day earlier than that mentioned the last upon which they can meet our commissioners. As the Philippines will be the subject of the most controversy, I Ia among tho probabilities that the commission may vislt the Island. If 90, that would consume at least six weeks time. Diplomats, who know some thing of the Inside workings of such com missions, do not expect the treaty to be complete much, If any before the first of the year, and would not be surprised should lt be several weeks after that be- fore the treaty was signed.