The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-11-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.

ashing,on, Nov 7.-Although it
has taken the peace commission, at
Paris, more than month to get down
to the single question it was. form
ed to settle-the disposition of the
Philippines-it would be a safe
wager that 1t will not take three
weeks to finish the business This
may seem rash statement. in view
of the apparent deadlock of the com
mission, caused by the refusal of the
Spanish commissioners to agree to
surrender the Philippines upon the
terms offered by our commissioners.
If that deadlock were real, it would
be rash statement, bnt it is not.
There ale the best of reasons for the
belief that this apparent deadlock is
dummy, trotted out for effect, and
that the congressional campaign be-
ing over, aad the administration no
longer having a reason for delaying
the negotiation of the treaty, the
commissioners will very 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
regard it as paid for other purposes.
inasmuch as the Philippines are ours
by right of capture This idea of
the victorious nation paying indemni
ty to the conquered nation, has only
one thing to commend tit is origi-
nal-but that isn't likely to make it
popular. There will be some sharp
talk on this subject In Congress, this
winter, and it will not all come from
democrats, either.
If Lieut. Hobson. who is still in
Washington, has any of the supersti-
ton which most persons raised ln
the South have, he probably regards
himself as having been hoodooed.
He had hardly recovered from the
knockdown 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 81,
900, 900, but there are naval officials
high ones-who regard the loss
with complscency. because the ves-
sci would have been constant re-
minder of Lieut.. Hobson, who has,
they think, already received entirely
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
nome in time to vote was made ap
purent by Mr. McKinley's treatment
of them. The regiment. which was
brought ali the way from Porto 2lco,
by special order of the President to
get their votes in, was stopped in
Washington for the purpose Of being
given a reception in the White
House. The regiment was first re-
viewed from the White House por-
tico, and was then received in the
East Room by Mr. Mckinley, who
shook hands and exchanged word
or two with every member 1t is the
first time that. any President ever
accorded such an honor 10 a body OF
soldiers as large as a regiment but
then, you know, MIR. Mckinley re-
garded their votes as being necessary
in Ohio, and hoped that he might
catch the democratic members--the
Colonel is demccrat-by paying
them unusual attentions.
Belva Lockwood, once Preslden
tial candidate, and for years sort OF
lawyer and claim, agent, has been
telling some other women exactly
what brought on the war She salo
il was all the wicked newspapers,
and attempted to prove the assertion.
The following extract is fair sample
of her speech: There vas no need
of the late war. and but for the press,
1t would never have b!ackened the
pages of our history There was
nothing but what could have been
settled by peaceful measures, by the
President and his Cabinet Yet there
were Legislators who burned for glory
aud longed for fight, and these, eeged
on by the press which printed all
their wild utterances brought about a
declaration of war Then we forgot
our civilization, and from read ng the
papers, we thought it would be glo
rious to butcher our fellowmen and
great to whip Spain The papers
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