The Opelousas courier., 1898-03-12
Washington Letter.
oUr Regular Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, d. c., March 7, 1893.
There is no denying that the present
policy of the administration Is aggra-
waiting and CALLING to the average Amer
lean, regardless of his political af1illa-
tlon. 1t is difficult to understand, when
Spain is moving heaven and earth to
borrow money and to buy Warsllps TO
fight US, why we should not be openly
preparing to buy additional wal ships
and put us on IL war footing generally,
instead Of pretending that the prepare
lions for war which the administration
is making, not only to the extent or
available appropriations but in antlcl-
patton OF appropriations, are merely
routine proceedings. We are not fool
ing Spain, aud it GEMS nonsens!cal
trying to tool ourselves. Mr.. Mchln-
ley knows, Just as everybody else
knows, that there isn't II chance IN
ten that wal will he avoided. lie
knows that the acceptanc" OF blood
money from Spain will not be colln-
t%enanced, and that a peace at any price
policy Wnnid have no supporters out
side of Wall strte. and Its connections
Knowing these things it's his duty 10
ask CongitS ~ make tue necessary APP
preparations to put the country IN "A
proper condition Of defense to enable
it to give Spain the thrashing 1t has
been itching for during the last year or
two. It is no valid excuse to claim that
to do so would be a reflection upon the
Naval Court Of Inquiry. IT SO, Spain
has been casting reflections upon the
Court quite n%umcrousIy during the last
few days. But as IL matter of fact,
would it be any more reflection to
openly ask for tie money from Con
grcss to make proper and needed pre-
paratlon for war. than 1t Is To be
seceItly making conditional contracts
for the same thing, IN anticipation or
appropriations that Congress has not
yet ven been asked to make There
is probably not il ma in Congress who
would ask that a gun be fired IN adj
vance of the verdict of the Court OF In
quiry, but inasmuch as everybody now
thinks that that verdict will show that
the destruction Of the Maine was not an
accident, there is little doubt that a ma
jority of Congress would like to see the
administration openly making ready to
fight after that verdict is rendered.
Few men in Congress are willing to
believe the rumors connecting Mr.. Nc
kinley's name with the scheme to buy
Cuba from Spain. Some Of his advl-
sers may be in the scheme. but Mr.. Nc
kinley ought to know the people OF
this country well enough to know that
they would bury every man out OF
sight, politically speaking. who dared
to support the necessary legislation to
make this country guarantee the pay
ment of Cuban bonds which would 90
to the present holders of Spanish bonds.
Ii this scheme is seriously pushed, 1t
will sOon he discovered that the uni
versal sentiment OF our people Is mil
lions for the preservation OF our Ma
tiOnal honor. bnt not one cent for Span
ish bond-holhers.
1t appeais that the friends Of Hawaii
an annexation are afraid to try to secure
annexation by a joint resolution, OWiDg
to the threats OF the opposition to keep
Congress in session all summer, it they
do. At !; secret meeting of the Senate
on foreign relations it was
decided to make another attempt to
ralify the treaty. IT that fails, as it is
expected to do, the whole waiter may be
dropped until the next session Of Con-
gress.
Car Reeds latest ruling, that demo-
shall not when the House is sitting
as "a Commute Of the whole ciitlclse
the administration, the Republican
party, or any individual Republican, is
another step toward the absolute thlot-
Ting of free speech in the House, and Is
just as outrageous as any OF those in the
direction which have preceded it.
From the birth Of Congress the custom
has been to allow the very widest lati-
to members who made speeches
while the House was sitting as the com
of the whole, but this new auto
cratic mnmbo jumbo says that nc de-
will be allowed to make a pollti-
cal speech. except when the bill under
consideration is purely political. This
muzzliDgrule wOnld be outrageous even
t it were made to apply impartially to
Ill members OF the House, but when
as it has been, solely to anti
members it is more than
outrageous it is depriying the repre-
,entatives of the people Of their consti-
right to be heard at all times.
The U. S. reward has been increased to
81 500 for the arrest of any person or
who were connected with the
of the negro postmaster at Lake
City, S. c., and his child, and a number
# Government detectives have been
nut Oh the case. The members Of the
south Carolina delegation in Congress
Ill say that the State authorities are al
% trying hard to run down and punish
he perpetrators Of INSTANTANEOUS crime.