The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-03-03
WASHINGTON.
|om our Regular Correspondent.

peech against Senator Aliens attempt
o make the recognition Of Cuban
|belligerency a rider to an appropria-
ZION bill, was refreshing in these days
|of tricky craftsmanship. He said that
he had voted for the belligerency res
|olution that the Senate had adopted
last Maybe was its author-and
that he was not only ready to vote for
the same thing again as an independ-
ent measure, but was ready to vote
for declaration of war against Spain,
which he regarded as more proper
than attempting to sneak belliger-
ency declaration through by attaching
it to an appropriation bill. He added
that he had always believed that Spain
and the United States would tight
over Cuba, and that he still believed
it; that he had always believed that as
soon as Spain realized that it had lost
Cuba, it would seek war with us, IN
order to save Spanish pride by making
it appear to their people at home that
it was the United States that secured
Cuban freedom.
Things are looking decidedly better
in Washington, to those who believe
that it is better to fight than to be
trampled upon and spit upon, than
they were last week. Members of the
administration are still talking peace,
but they have quit trying to cram the
'taccident" theory OF the loss
of the Maine down mems throats,
and what is better than all, they are
preparing to fight. They still claim
to have no more information than they
have given to the public, and to be
waiting for the report of the Naval
Court cf inquiry, now sitting In Ha-
vana harbor, In order to ascertain
whether the Name was accidentally
blown up or was blown up by Span
ish torpedo. Their claims are not
worrying anybody so long as they are
s.9ing ahead energetlcal(y making prep
arations for that war with Spain which
a majority of Congress now regard as
inevitable. In fact, Mr.. Mckinley is
said to have become convinced by re-
ports from Gen. Fitz. Lee, and other
United States Consuls in Cuba, that
regardless of the Maine catastrophe
the time has about come when we
must intervene in behalf of Cuba or
eat the threat of doing so. after giving
Spain an opportunity to try its auton-
omy fake, made IN his annual message
to Congress. Those consular reports,
which show beyond the shadow of
donb, that autonomy in Cuba is dead
beyond hope of resurrection, have
been called for by both the House and
Senate. Mr.. Mckinley has held them
back, he says because of the excite
ment caused by the wreck of the
Maine but it is probable that his
knowledge that he must act after they
are laid before Congress also had
something to do with the delay. I'm
less all signs fail, he is getting ready
to act, and not a minute too soon
either.
The administration is much alarmed
about the success of Hawaiian annex
alton, and fresh efforts are being made
to get enough votes to ratify the
treaty in the Senate, in order to keep
the matter from getting before the
House at all. This fresh alarm was
started by Representative H. U. John
son of Indiana, who surprised every
body by making a corking good
speech against the policy of annexa-
tion in general, and especially against
the annexation of Hawaii, while the
Sundry Civil bill was under considera-
ton. The applause gwen Mr.. John
son from his own side of the house
indicates that more republicans will
vote against resolution for annexa-
ton than had been put down in the
opposite column, and the adminlstra-
ton fears that annexation will be de-
feated in the House, if 1t gets before
that body. There are about 20 dem
ocrats in the House who would vote
for annexation.
Representative Perkins, of Iowa, is
the latest republican who tried to take
a fall out of Jerry Simpson and failed,
as the following dialogue, which oc-
CURED in connection with few re-
marks of Jerry concerning the tendency
of present conditions to make million
aires and paupers, will show Per
kins-" Would you object to being a
millionaire ?" Simpson-"I l should
not. l don't believe in playing the
hypocrite. But that I am not a mil
ionaire is evidence of my disinclination
to take advantage of my fellow-men."
Perkins-"If you were a millionaire,
1 presume you would admit that there
is some responsibility among them ?"
Simpson-"Yes, l have no doubt l