The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-05-20
Washington Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

President McKlnley's recommends
ton for Congressional action in honor
OF Commodore Dewey's great victory
In many respects the greatest H.
annals of naval warfare-was prompt
ly acted upon. Chairman Boutelle, oil
the House naval committee, has re-
ported joint resolution of thanks t."
Co"'. tiore Dewey, and a nil Great
ing an additional rear admiral in the
navy. h" Inter will enable the
President to promote Commodore
Dewey. Immediately upon receipt of
his official report of the battle o
Manila harbor, Secretary Long in th,
name of the Pres d. NJ cabled to Com
mod"Te Dewey promoting him to Act
ing Admiral, and rendering him the
thanks of himself and of the peopl
ior his great achievement.
The m"re the official report of Com
modore Dewey is studied the more
wonderful his victory appears. He
entered Manila harbor, protected by
mines, heavy shore batteries, fleet OF
eleven ships, mounting about one hun
dred guns and carry ing about 1000
men, and DESTROYED all eleven of the
ships and captured all the batteries.
And the most wonderful part Of thi>
wonderful exploit was that not single
man on an American ship was klllec
and not single ship materially lnjur
ed, and only half dozen were wound
ed.
Senator Sewell's acceptance of the
commission of maj,r general in the
volunteer army, to which he was nom
mated and confirmed at the same
time that Gen. Fitzhugh Lee, Gen.
Joseph Wheeler, Gen. James H. Will
son, and the seven brigadier generals
of the regular army were, is not GER
tain, and will depend upon the opin-
ion of Attorney General Griggs, to
wnom the matter has been referred: as
TO whether the commission can be ac-
cepted without vacating the seat in
the Senate now held by General Sew
ell. If it cannot, the Senator will de-
cline the commission, and the general
mpressi is that it cannot.
The House has made record a..
this session of which republicans, who
have controlled and directed its course,
may we'll be proud. 1t has passed 2O0
bills that have become laws, and about
200 other bills that are now on the
Senate calendar. The war measures
the $50,0OO,O0O appropriation, the
armed intervention resolution the
declaration of war, the volunteer army
bill, the bill for reOrganizing the regu-
lar army, the War revenue bill, the bill
appropriating 100000 for the ex
penses of the army, and minor war
bills-have probably not taken more
than a week of the time of the House
altogether, SO promptly have they been
disposed of.
The opponents in the Senate OF the
annexation of Hawaii having made it
practically certain that the annexa-
tion treaty would fail TO receive the
necessary two-thirds if pushed to
vote in the Senate, the machinery for
securing annexation by JOINT resulu-
tlOn has been put in motion, and the
Houst committee on Foreign Rela-
tiOns will this week favorably report
the same, and, if the opportunity oc-
ours will at once push it through the
House. President Mckinley would
be justified in taking possession of
Hawaii as a war measure, even If the
present government of Hawaii had not
formally rendered the islands to the
U. S. and he may yet do so, but he
much prefers that annexation should
come through Congressional action.
Some decidedly interesting informa-
tion is contained in "advance sheets
of Consular Reports" issued daily by
the Bureau OF Foreign Commerce of
the State Department. For instance,
that the island of Luzon, on which
the city of Manila, the scene of Com
modore (since promoted to be admiraD
Dewey's great naval victory, is larger
than the states of New York and Mass
achusetts; that the entire area OF the
Philippine Islands, now under Old
Glory, is ten per cent reater than
that of the New England States, New
York, New Jersey, Maryland and Della
ware combined. Many persons who
consider themselves we'll informed up
on commercial affairs have been great
ly surprised to learn that the U. S. has
more trade with the Philippine Islands
than all the rest of the world cOmbln-
ed has. What the Z. S. will do with
these valuable islands is question
that is already being much discussed
in Washington. This government