The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-06-03
Washington Letter.
From our regular CORRESPONDENT

President Mckinley, Secretary Long
and Secretary Alger are demonstrate
ing the possibility of keeping the
movements of our army and navy all
solutely secret. Other officials in botl
the War and Navy Departments knov
OF some of the movements and CON
templated movements, but all of them
are known only to those three men.
They are not known even to the other
members of the Cabinet, they having
themselves requested that the knowl-
edge be kept from them. Although
this policy and the rigid censorship of
OF all telegraph matter sent from
points where information of contem-
plated movements may be obtained
has only been fully into effect for
week, its good effects are so apparen,
that there is no doubt of its being
maintained throughout the war. In
formation of anything accomplished,
or of any battle on land or water will
be promptly given out; it is only news
that would indicate contemplated
movements that is withheld. Among
the announcements that may conf
IDENTIFY be pected-that may be made
any day-that the invasion of Cuba
has been successfully made, and that
the Spanish fleet, now in Cuban wat
ers, has been met and whipped. The
two announcements may be simulta-
neously made, as there are indications
that the army and navy are moving
together with those ends in view.
1t is expected that the committee
on rules will this week report to the
House a special rule for the considera-
ton of the joint resolution providing
for the annexation of Hawaii. The
adoption of the resolution by major
ltv of nearly ur quite one hundred is
certain when vote is taken, but it
cannot be voted upon until special
rule is reported
There is politics, and very dirty ones
at that, being played in connection
with the war-revenue bill, which is
still before the Senate. There Is moth
ing patriotic about the motives Of the
silver men who are majority of the
Senate Finance committee for strik-
ing out the clause authorizing the is
sue OF bonds and of certificates of in
debtedness. and inserting in their
place authority for issuing nearly
5000, 100000 in paper currency-$150,-
OOO, 600 in greenbacks and $42,O00,O00
in silver certificates. And there is, if
possible, even patriotism in the man
ner in which those democratic Sen
ators who have promised to join the
republicans in voting to strike out
this fiat money clause and reinSert
the clause authorizing bonds and GER
tiicates of Indebtedness are being
urged to gnore their promises and
vote for fiat money. The radical sill
yer men who are engineering this
movement have been disappointed be
cause the first month of the war has
not resulted IN sending gold to pre-
MUM. They know that if the bond
clause is in the bill as it finally goes
through that there will he no proba-
bility of any suspension of gold pay
ments by the administrative, no mat
ter how long the war may last; and
and they believe that if they can get
fiat money authorized, instead of
bonds, that gold will at once go to a
premium, and that that will in some
way be beneficial to the silverites and
detrimental to the republican admin
istration and party Nice game for
men who call themselves Americans
to be engaged in, in the face of an ex-
pensive-almOst a million IA da> is
now being spent-foreign war, now
isn't it?
There is much mislnformation
throughout the country concerning
the functions Of the Naval War Board
usually mistakenly referred t" as the
"Strat.gy Board. The Naval War
Board is not charged with conducting
the naval portion of the war at all.
| Its functions are entirely advisory.
The duty of the board is to keep track,
as far as possible, "f iht movements OF
our ships as well as those of the enemy
/ and in the performance of that duty
| some of its members are on duty night
and day at the Naval Department
studying the dispatches that are con-
stantly being received. Orders are
only given by the President or the
Secretary of the Navy. and, as mat
ter of fact only the general order to
find and destroy the Spanish navy has
been issued to Admiral Sampson, who
has been left free to use his own Judg-
( ment about how best to carry out that
order, the Navy Department, OF course
:foroJ of ouarvthInp