The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-28
SUNDAY IN WASHINGTON.
a Contrast Between Lincoln ana
Nck;uI@x


Longdon Smith, writing to the New
York Journal from this city yesterday.
said:
1T is very probable that the President
of these United States has eaten his last
Sunday breakfast before his battle with
Congress over the Spanish trouble be
gins.
ION a Sunday morning. thirty-seven
years ago, a gaunt old rail splitter sat
breakfast far less pretentious and with
far more important war before him
than a bout with lot of bull fighters.
HE ate bacon and corn bread and
hominy, which conduces to muscle and
mentality. lie had patriotism TO burn,
for patriotism burns brightest in lowly
habitations and log cabins. such as Lin
coin had for his birthplace.
But there are lots of patriots left who
are not fed on quaking calves-foot Jelly
Here is Washington, even on this Sun
day morning. you could not throw
stone without hitting one.
"All of them are not interested IN the
Standard Oil Company. Some of them
do not care whether the oil monopoly OF
the country goes 10 Russian company
or to Hindostan or to the devil, or
whether the Standard Oil Company loses
one dollar or twenty millions. The mag
mates of that company will still be able
to purchase beef and beans, and Sur
passing coffee, such as soldiers eat.
Taking it ali around and looking at
the problem through its breadth and
depth and nurky thickness, the situation
may be stated III these propositions:
"First-War is sure to come within
month at the very outside, unless Spain
crawls abjectiy out of it.
"Second-It viii be ended and Cuba
will be free within three months.
"Third-Spain's empire in the Western
Hemisphere will have come 10 an end
There viii not be butcher left in Cuba.
There will be no Spanish Cuba or Porto
Rico.
"Fourth-The United States will have
an indemnity coming that cannot be col
lected in a hundred years. But it will
probably be enough to pay the pension
roll.
THE war will come, barely before the
last of the native population is dead and
before the last of the weak babies. whin-
ing at their dead mothers breasts. have
been starved to death. But better late
than never.
1.-THE feeling Of congressman is con-
stantly growing on the subject
"Grosvenof, the old Ohip veteran and
admirer Of Mckinley. came out today
squarely for Intervention. Others win fol-
low him. There is no doubt as to their
attitude.
In the House, Tom Reed is the only
unregenerate. He is a man of contra
dictions. He looks silly and ploddinG,
but he is brainy and quick. His stomach
is round as his head is square, but his
mind is octagonal and many sided and
full of points. Again, this morning, in
the ShorehaE1. he was apparently buried
in the financial columns of the news
papers.
This city, on the verge of war with
/ Spain, does no: differ materially from the
Washington of thirty-seven years ago.
when we were on the eve Of fighting
among ourselves.
There are the same knots of men on.
the street corners this morning. the same
gatherings of senators and representa-
tives the same quiet conversations. the
same spirit of patriotism visible every
where. except inside the White House
and the huge stone piles which house the
| Treasury and the Department of the In
| terror
| AT all the churches there were con-
! gressmen and congressman. seeking
| earnestly for the right path 10 follow
/ tomorrow. Many Of them have already
/ made u9 their minds to speak on the
/ Cuban situation as soon as possible after
! the Maine report is disposed Of