Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-08-11
THE WORLD AT LARGE.
summary Of the Daily News,
WASHINGTON NOTES.

WASHINGTON NOTES.
A STATEMENT was current at Wash
tngton that the queen regent of Spain
had written a touching letter to Presi-
dent Mckinley, in which she eloquent1y
recited the grief she felt over the IN
fortunate differences that had arisen
between the United States and Spain
and pleaded for cessation of the war.
THE officials at Washington received
a cablegram from the pope stating
that information had been received at
the vatican that Aguinaldo and his in
surgent forces at Manila had planned
a massacre of the Catholic clergy. In
structions were sent to Gen. Merritt
and Admiral Dewey to take every
means possible to prevent the insur-
gents from carrying out their plan.
UNOFFICIAL news which reached the
administration at Washington on the
I'd gave the government strong reasons
for believing that the terms of peace
had been agreed to by the government
at Madrid.
PRESIDENT MCKINLEY said there
would be no extra session of congress,
although the senate will have to be
called together to ratify the treaty of
peace.
AFTER a conference on the peace
question on the Sd between President
Mckinley and M. Cambon, the French
ambassador at Washington, Secretary
Day, who was present, announced that
the conference was inconc1usive and
the parties to it had agreed to say moth
ing public as to what had occurred.
From this it was gathered that the
long-expected answer of Spain to the
presidents note was either a counter
proposition or a request for fuller
statement on some point.
THE state department at Washington
has been advised by United States Con-
sui Wildman at Hong Kong that all
prisoners taken by Aguinaldo, the in
surgent chief, are treated with per-
feet humanity" and that all reports to
the contrary are absolutely false.
IT was said on very good authority
that the president had decided on the
men to be selected for the peace COM
missioners. Ex-President Harrison is
to be chairman of the commission;
Senator Cushman K. Davis of Mime
esota, will be the second member, and
Richard Olney. Cleveland's secretary
of state. is to be the third membe
INFORMATION has been received at
Washington from London through pri-
vate channels that the Indian mints
are to be reopened to free coinage of
silver at an early date. There was
said to be a strong effort to have the
ratio changed from 16 to 1 to % to 1,
and it was asserted that both France
and the United States had evinced a
Willingness to assent to the change.
THE secretary of war has ordered
Gen. Skaters troops relieved from
further duty in Santiago as fast as
transportation can be provided and
the transfer of Spanish prisoners will
admit of reduction of the garrison
Five United States volunteer regi-
ments, immunes, have been ordered to
Santiago for garrison duty.
SECRETARY LONG is now devoting a
good part of his attention to reducing
the expenses of the navy department.,
which were so vastly increased by the
war. One of the first steps adopted is
the reduction of the fleet of auxiliary
vessels.
PRESIDENT MAso, of the Cuban re-
public, recently sent dispatches to
President Mckinley by George Reno.
an American citizen. A reply was sent
back, the tenor of which was kept Sc
cret by the members of the admins
tration.
THE publicity given to the democrat.
ization of Gen. Skaters army by sick
ness has annoyed the administration
at Washington. If the state of affairs
had been known by Spain a week ago,
officials think, she would most proba-
bly, have refrained from making peace
overtureS.
w. RANKINGooD and Harry Price, OF
Cincinnati, who originated the idea
of starting fund among school chill
dren for the purpose of raising money
to build battleship to be called 1.-The
American Boy" were in Washington
recently forwarding their plans. They
had an interview with President Nc
Kinley, who gave them a letter in
dorsing their idea