Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1898-03-04
WASHINGTON LETTER.

AhAllONS AXE ACTIVE. LAND DE-
FENsEs ARE COMPLETE AND OUR
NAVY EQUALS SPANS. CIVIL SER
VICE REFORM NOT A SHAM.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S, 1898.
Few men occupying the position
of President Mckinley at this criti-
cal time would be able to Withstand
the temptation to do a little spread
eagle posing by catering, in talk,
at least, to the unmistakable fight
ing sentiment of the country.
Whether he has been tempted to do
so, | cannot say, but that he has not
done so is known to all the world,
and it reflects great credit upon him
as a man and an official, and has.
beyond a doubt, increased the re-
spect felt for the U. S. by all civil
lied nations, Not a line officially
indicating what the verdict of the
naval court of in quiry will be has
been received by either the Presi-
dent or Secretary Long, but that
very fact has tended TO convince the
public that the investigation has al
ready shown the court that the ex-
plosion, which wrecked the Maine,
was not accidental and that it did
not occur inside the vessel whether
it has convinced the President and
Cabinet, their active preparations
for war show better than anything
said for publication by any of them.
These preparations are for the pur-
pose of putting the country in con-
ditiOn to hold Spain to a strict ac-
countability, if the verdict of the
court shall be that the Maine was
blown up from the outside, as near
ly everybody now expects that it
will be. Holding Spain responsible
is likely to cause war, and although
not one warlike word has been utter
ed, either by the President or any
member of his Cabinet, this country
is quite well prepared for war.
Our navy is equal to that of Spain
IN guns and armament, and as su-
periOr to it in fighting qualities as
the American is to a Spaniard and
the following remarks made by a
War Department official will give
some idea of our coast defenses
''From Portland Me-, to the South
ermost point on the American coast,
big guns and mortar batteries have
been planted, and, in case of war,
an invading force could not land OH
Uncle Sans soil, without suffering
severely. The Pacific coast has not
been neglected by any means, and q
hostile fleet seeking an entrance to
harbor anywhere along that coast
line, would find violent opposition.
One good result of the present criti-
cal times, if it only amounts to O.
! scare, is that there will be less op-
position to appropriation for coast
defenses and for needs of the army
and navy.
Justice Harlan, of the U. S. Su-
preme Court, made the following
reference to the loss of the Maine,
in lecture to the law students of
| Columbia University: "It is idle for
any man to say he knows how that
calamity occurred, and any man be-
Titles his nature and lowers himself
in the estimation of his fellow men,
when he expresses the anxiety that
it will turn out that it was not an
accident, but that it was treachery
rather than an accident. Brave,
generous men do not want to think
so badly of their fellow men. We
| don t want to believe that that was
an act of treachery and duplicity
We hope it will turn out otherwise.
And we ought all to have this feel
ing If it turns out to be accidental,
we shall rejoice if 1t turns out not
to be accidental, we snail hear no
more of North, South, East or West,
no more of Republicans, Democrats
or Populists. We will hear only of
Americans.
The President and the Secretary
of the Navy believe that it would
be both fitting and patriotic for Con-
| gress to authorize the building of a
new warship, to be as good as it can
| be made, to be named Maine, but
they also regard as wise the opinion
of the men in Congress who have
studied this subject, that it will be
best TO wait until full particulars of
| the loss of the Maine can be careful
/ ly studied before deciding whether
it would be advisable to build any
more vessels of the battleship type.
1 Representative Pearson, of N. c.,
indignantly resents the imputation,
made in some quarters, that the
fight made by the Republicans of
the House to secure modification of
/ the civil service law and rules, in
which he has been conspicuous
among the leaders, is a sham, and
says he intends, if within his power,
and he thinks lis, to see that every
member of the House is put on rec
ord on this question before the close
OF the present session. There is
reason for the belief that President
Mckinley would have issued an
order materially modifying the civil
service rules before this, had not his
attention been so fully taken up with
matters following upon the de LONE
letter and the destruction of the
Maine.
The failure to secure unanimous
consent for the House to take up the
bill, already passed by the Senate,
providing for the enlistment of two
additional regiments of artillery,
in order that the Government might
properly man the batteries of heavy
guns which have been planted in
connection with our sea-coast de-
lenses, owing to democratic objec-
tions, speaks much louder to observ
ent persons than do the war whoops
which certain democrats have re-
Gently been indulging in. This tenn
y l.