The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-08-18
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.

of leaving some of them to be settled
by joint commission, it was furnish
ed in chunks by Spain's first answer,
accepting the terms of peace, but on
condition that numerous things, in
cluding whether Cuba should be
responsible for a portion of the Span
ish bonded debt, should be determined
by the Peace Commission. That it
was compelled to waive the conditions
and accept the terms of peace with
out conditions, does not lessen the
mistake Mr.. Mckinley made in leav-
Ing anything to be settled by commits
sion, as the country will realize long
before that commission completes its
work. Spain was whipped to her
knees and was bound to accept any
terms of peace Mr.. Mckinley chose
ITO offer and there was not single
good reason why the terms should not
have been made such that their &C
ceptance would have settled the whole
business for good and all. The ex-
cuse for not doing that is not valid
one. 1t is that the administration had
not decided what should be done with
the Philippines. The people have
decided that Spanish rule ought not
to be continued in any part of the
Philippines, If the administration
hasn't.
Simpsons "pull" extended to Mr..
Mckinley, as it has been decided to
make him Rear Admiral for his SER
vices in the war, although not few
persons say that his share of prize
money, on prizes he had no hand in
taking, will largely overpay him for
anything he has done. The public
agitation in favor of Schley is doubt
less the cause of his also getting made
a Rear Admiral, but the pleasure at
his promotion is lessened by Sampson
being promoted ahead of him, thus
keeping up the injustice by which
Sampson was jumped over his head
In the first place.
The willy Sultan of Turkey appears
to have talked this government to
standstill in the game of diplomacy
that has been going on for several
years over the claims of American
missionaries for $Ioo, 900 for property
destroyed by Turkish mobs. The
claim was first made by the Cleveland
administration, and from its first filing
until very recently the public has been
told from time to time that the gov
eminent was about to compel the
Sultan to settle up. Nothing official
can be obtained at the State Depart
ment, but from other sources it is
learned that the Sultan has positively
refused to pay a cent, taking the
ground that his government was not
responsible. Ordinarily such a refusal
could have been easily met, but in
this case the refusal was based on a
quotation from an answer given by
this government to another govern
ment that had presented claim for
property destroyed by riotous mob.
That is what brought this government
to standstill, until the next move
can be thought out. 1t would be an
easy matter to send a strong fleet to
Turkish waters and force payment,
but 1t must first be decided that it
would be wise to establish such a
precedent.
Now that they no longer have the
Spanlards to fight, the army officials
who have been so busy trying to shift
the responsibility for the shameful
shortcomings in the furnishing of pro-
per supplies to the men in the army,
not only at Santiago, but in camps in
the U. S. from their own to somebody
else's shoulders, can give their entire
attention to fighting each other, in
stead of welding the official, white
wash brush. Perhaps it may be posi-
BILE when Congress assemblies to get
an investigation that will really investi-
gate. If so, there is little doubt that
much incompetence will be located,
and some crookedness, too. By that
time many volunteers now in the ser
vice will have ceased to be soldiers
and their evidence will be available,
while now their tongues are tied by
military regulations.
There is trouble, and lots of it
ahead of the War Department, on
account OF its management of its end
OF the war, and that may account for
the rumor that Secretary Alger in
tends shortly to resign and that his
portfolio will be offered to Gen. Joe
Wheeler, of Ala 1t would be shrewd
move on the part of the administra-
ton to attempt to head off demo
cratic criticism OF the War Depart
ment by making such a good demo-
crat as Gen. Wheeler Secretary of
War, but il remains to be seen whether