Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1898-04-27
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent

L
Spain was a fitting elimination Of
his able and patriotic management
of the whole Cuban question. 1t
fully recognizes that the intervention
resolution adopted by congress, a
copy Of which accompanied the uiti-
matum, Is a declaration of war
against Spain, unless it will agree to
evacuate Cuba, and makes that per-
fectly plain to Spain. Spain is
given until tomorrow Saturday to
answer, but only one answer is ex-
pected, a refusal to evacuate Cuba.
Before this is in type Cuba will be
blockade1 by the United States fleet.
The program is to block ade all Cuban
ports and to avoid an attack upon
Havana, unless it is provoked by the
Spanish, until Il sufficient number OF
troops can be massed at Southern
ports, whittier they are now being
rushed, to form an army large enough
to sweep the Spanish off of Cuba.
This program is liable to change by
the movements of the Spanish war
vessels II they show up in Cuban
waters, the fight will be opened at
once.
Washington, in and out of con
gress, is in whirl of patriotic en-
thusiasm. Old Glory is flying every
where, from the big business houses,
the residences of rich and poor, as
we'll AS from public buildings, and, if
| they could be accepted, about half OF
the residents of the city who are ell
| gible for military service would gladly
enlist for the war. Daughters OF
prominent men are Offering their ser
vices as hospital nurses. In congress
there are no longer war men and
peace men; all are for strengthening
! the arm OF the government in order
that Spain may be taught useful
lesson us speedily as possible.
| While the patriotism OF our people
| as a whole has never been surpassed
at any ti.ne in our history, army and
navy officials charged with the pur-
chase OF war supplies and vessels for
| the government, have found a few in
! dividuals who, instead of sharing in
! the prevalent patriotism, have cOOlly
| and deliberately tried to take adVan
! tage Of the pressing needs OF the gov
ernment by asking extortionate
! prices. In some cases these men
were acting as agents, but In others
| they were principals. As a rule no
purchases have been made from these
! wOuld-be robbers, but in several in
I stances, where the need could not be
! In time met elsewhere, the eXtOrtlOn
! was agreed to under protest. No
1 names have been mentioned in this
connection by government officials,
! but it would be nothing but justice
! to publish the name OF every man or
/ firm that tried to gOuge the country.
Their fellow-citizens should be al
lowed to know them for what they
are. instead OF going on believing
/ them what they pretend to be
| General GrOsvenOr, In a speech pro-
testing against the construction that
! certain newspapers had put upon
words recently used by hlm-"This
war will be fought under the banner
| Of the Republican administration Of
] this government, or not at all
| stated that he meant the words to
mean just what they said, and not
! that the conduct of the war was to
! be made d partisan question. He
concluded as follows, amid the en-
thusiasJic applause of the house and
the crowded galleries. Il believe this
war will be energetically waged both
IN military sense and In the legisla-
ton necessary to carry 1t on, and l
| believe the response to the call to
arms Will be unanimous. There Will
! be no political division. 1t will cone
from Democrats, Populists, as well as
from Republicans, and specially do [
believe the response to patriotism
will come from every Southern state
and that the whole Union will share
the triumphant echo of loyalty"
A notable phase Of the situation,
IN Washington, is the number and
the heartiness of expressions of good
will towards Englishmen. 1t has
! been known, of course, from the be-
ginning that the sentiment of Eng
! land was the same as that OF the
| United States in regard to the need
OF puttinga end to Spanish butchery
and starvation of innocent non
combatants in Cuba, and officials
have known that the English govern
ment has stood like a wall of granite
In front of every proposal made by
the three European governments
that are favorable to Spain as far
as they dare be to combine the
European powers for the purpose OF
forcibIy int Interfering in behalf of Spain,
or of threatening to do so, and be-
lieved that it was only that obstacle
| that prevented an anti-American
coalition of European nations.
These things, together with the cur
rent tone Of the English press, have
touched a responsive chord in many
American breasts, and are causing a
great deal of talk about the prob
ability of an alliance between the
United States and Great Britain,
and of the great power that could be
welded among the nations of the
world by such an alliance. The
strength of a team composed of
Uncle Sam and John Bull would be
unquestioned, either in peace or in
war.