The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-04-28

As we said yesterday. We believe the
Spanish war will be brief one. ana II
they do not send their fleet here We be-
l,eve fl will be comparatively, II not
wholly. a bloodless one. We canot be-
lleve they intend 20 send their fleet TO
this side OF the Atlantic. because 10 looks
like madness for them 90 do IT,. We can-
not help hoping and feeling. therefore.
that Cuba viii De irce OF the Spanish in
the next two or three months and that
the war will consequently DE over. We
cannot help thinking. also. that this is
the game which the leaders OF Spain
are playing. They are compelled by do
rnestic conditions Co make a great pre-
tence OF going TO war with us, but they
know. of course. however they might
succred i'm annoying us. there could
~ but one end Co such "a contest. ana
we cannot help thinking that they are
only making faces and shaking their
lists at us until they can get a reasonable
excuse for abandoning cuba. When that
will bee done the whole wretched business
will be brought 10 AN end.
Nevertheless. it is wise in Congress 20
De dealing with the subject ina the most
serious manner and TO Doe so framing our
laws that they will provide a revenue
sufficient for q serious war whether we
have one or not We are actually at
war. and It IS given TO no man to say
how long that war will last or what its
proportions will be. and the part of wis
dom therefore is 10 deal with il just az
though we supposed the Spaniards were
as earnest about IL as We arc.
We are glad, therefore, to see the
Ways and Means Committee come for
ward with a bill that will add one hum
dred millions of dollars per annum 10
our income We may not need the
money. but We shall need IL very badly
II we need it at all. and If the war sud
denly collapses and We fortunately find
ourselves coming into possession Of more
money than we want, we can apply the
surplus TO redeeming outstanding bonds
and repeal the law imposing the new
taxes. The committee was wise also 20
authorize the Secretary of the Treasury
20 issue treasury notes to meet tempo
rary exigencies while the new revenue is
coming in.
Ghe objection 10 a measure OF this
sort is that IT may unduly initiate the
currency and start unhealthy speculative
ventures. But the notes are to be re-
deemed in one year from the time they
& &
and they are 10 bear interest in the
meantime al per cent, which will send
them into boards almost as soon as they
are issued This will efectually bar them
from general circulation and relieve the
situation of the only dangerous element
that It contained.
There has been bu; one inharmonious
note struck in all the suggestions for
euipping the government for this wan.
and that was struck by one Of Virginia's
Senators Mr. Martin. He has intro
duced a bill in the Senate to coin the
seinorage. which will, Of course. reopen
the silver discussion at the time above
ell others when partisanry should be
Republicans should agree 10 suspend all
controversy over the questions that have
heretofore divided them. The bill. It is
said. will pass the Senate. though there
will certainly be an angry and bitter de-
bate before Il does So and at a time
when the world should see nothing but
a united front in America II IS likely to
see an exhibition OF partisanry and party
feeling that will be anything but i'm
proving 10 u.s. Had this bill been intro
ducod by Senator Daniel IL would have
been entirely harmonious with all pro-
prieties OF the case. because Senator
Daniel. having been an ultra free silver
man from the beginning no one IS ever
surprised 70 see him manifest his faith
sn free silver whenever an opportunity
occurs for his introducing the subject.
But Mr. Martin has been ayowedly a
free silver man for only a very short
dime II is only about two years since
bis friends claimed that he was one OF the
soundest OF sound money men. We re-
greet that he has taken this occasion TO
bring up the question and TO show himself
on the wrong side.
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