The Press., 1898-05-05
Washington Letter.
waahinRton. May 3, lspe.


 The organization of the volunteer army Is being pushed as rapidly as possible, in order that the men may be gotten into camps of instruction and seasoned for . campaign in the field. Some of It's officers have already been selected, and the re- mainder will be announced in few days It Is definitely settled that the command of the first section of the army of Cuban invasion will be given to Brig. Gen. Shaf- ter, of the regular army, who has been selected for one of the volunteer major generals.
 Congress will probably at once pass the bill authorizing the enlistment of about 18, 900 men for immediate service in Cuba who have had the yellow fever, it having been stated to the president that 1t would be an easy matter to secure such men in the extreme south. These enlistments will be in addition to the 125,0OO first called for by the president.
 Every day the president Is compelled to decline offers of regiments of men, because he has DO authority to accept them, the states having chosen to furnish their quota of volunteers from their national guard, and in nearly every case having protested because their quota was not large enough. Penn. sent word that 1t would gladly have furnished the entire 125, 900. Should there be second call, which at this time looks very doubtful, some of the regiments which have been offered will be given a chance for service.
 In addition to the share of the $50, 900, 900 recently appropriated by congress al- lotted to the war department, Secretary Alger has been compelled to ask congress to appropriate more than SS4, ,0OO ,0O0 to meet war expenses of that department during the two months remaining of the present fiscal year. The money will be promptly voted. It appears that Repre- sentative Dingley was speaking by the card when he said the other day that the war expenditures had exceeded $25, ,000, ,O00 a month since March 1, and would go much higher shortly.
 The long list of nominations to civil offices sent to the senate by the president furnish evidence enough that everybody has not got the war fever, and other evidence is found in the civil departments of the government, where patents and pen sions are issued with the usual regularity and other business is attended to just as usual, and will continue to be. The fact of the matter is that this country Is too big to allow its ordinary business to be- come disarranged by a little thing like a war with Spain. A few men will fight, fewer will gain fame and glory, but about seventy millions of us will go right along attending to our every day affairs, with a little shouting on the side as news of victories come in.
 The wiping out of political lines in con- gress was not permanent. When 1t was only question of voting money already in the treasury to enable the country to prepare for war, oro of declaration of war. party lines were T6aiterated, but as soon as it became necessary for congress to pro- vide the money to fight the war party lines were again very much in evidence. The democrats of the house with eight excep- tions, and all of the populists voted against the war revenue bill because it provided for the issue of bonds, but as all the re- publicans. except two, and six democrats voted for the bill it was passed by a vote of 1S1 to 131. The bill will be taken up by the senate this week. The bond pro- vision will be fought by the popnlists, the silver republicans, and a majority of the democrats, but sufficient number of democrats have announced their intention to vote with the republicans to make the passage of the bill a certainty, and the discussion may be savage and partisan in it's nature. Some of the silver men have the idea that there Is a trick In the bond authorization, because 1t Is so large I-$800 900 ,0O0-but the administration men declare their only object Is to make sure that the government shall not at any time be hampered in It's conduct of war, and that all of the bonds authorized will not be Issued unless the money shall be needed.
 War department officials do not like the manner in which military news has leaked published about as soon as they had been determined upon. So 8 new rule absolu- tely prohibiting information being given by any official has been adopted, and pry- ing eyes are to be kept at a distance by denying admittance to newspaper men and other outsiders and to any of the offices of the department.
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