Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-11-11

DSi'siI tIIlSiltS w SlS vi tlltSd i ~
mission to Go Home to Vote
but None Others-A Bluff by
Shaftcr Did Not WOrk-Iobson
Turned Down.
From Our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4th, 1898.
The threatening attitude of tie
Spanish Commissioners, at Paris, may
not have been Intentionally brought
about by the administration for effect
upon the Congressional elections, bu,
it has suspicious look, and there are
not few who think that the wording
OF the written demand for the Philip.
pine islands, handed to the Spanish
Commissioners by our Commissioners,
was purposely made exasperating, SC
that the Spaniards would get up few
howls and threaten to withdraw from
the peace negotiations. There is an
other thing that may have something
to do with the Spanish yowling.
They have been given to understand,
officially, that our Commissioners
would agree to sugar-coat the Philip
pine pill by agreeing that this govern
ment would pay $4O,00OO0O of Span
ish bonds, issued as a charge upon the
Philippines. bnt as soon as that wac
published over here the protests we're
so numerous and vigorous that Mr.
Mckinley ordered the bond deal erased
from the programme, and a promise
to pay back what Spain had actually
spent for the betterment of the Phil
ippines - an indefinite sum - sub.
stituted therefor.
Not for many years have so many
Republican Office holders gone from
Washington to vote in a Congressional
election, and not for many years has
so much compulsion been used to
make Republican voters in the govern
meht departments 60 home. Very
few Democratic government employees
have succeeded in getting leave of
absence to go home to vote, and the
most of those who did get leave vote
in States that are so certainly Demo-
cratic that their votes will make no
difference. Democrats who have votes
in close districts or States who applied
for leave to 60 home, were told that
their services could not be dispense
with, owing to important business in
their respective offices.
Gen. Greedy, Chief Signal officer of
the army, is very particular in all his
public utterances to speak in high
terms OF Secretary Alger, and other
officials who had anything to do with
the direction of the war, but in speech
to a church club he let the cat out of
the bag by saying that one of the
principal reasons why the Signal Corps
operated so successfully during tn
war with Spain was that it had SHE
of its own, chartered in the name of y
private individual, and not subject
control Of the army or navy.
They are repeating a story in army
and navy circles about how Gen.
Shafter tried to bluff Lieut.. w.
II. Stayton, Commanding U. S. S.
Aliene, who had charge OF the as.
Segment OF positions for anchorage,
for sanitary inspection, to the troop
ships which brought Skaters men
from Santiago to Montauk. When
the ship which brought Gen. Shafter
was sighted off Montauk Point, Lieut..
Stayton put out in his boat and
ordered her to heave to. The only
reply he got was an order to get out OF
the way or be sunk. Lieut.. Stayton
then ordered the Captain to stop or he
would fire a shot through his ship.
That's where Shaiter made his bluff.
" am Gen. Shafter. and | am not 60
ing 10 stop for anybody" he yelled,
and then asked: "Who are YOU, any.
way?" 81 am Lieut.. Stayton, of the
Navy" replied that officer, "and am
directed by the Secretary of the Navy
to see that no vessel lands passen gers
without having been certified by the
health authorities, and l order you to
heave to, under penalty of a shot"
Shafter then retired, leaving the
Captain of the ship to apologize. and
to ask Lieut.. Stayton where he should
anchor pending the medical inspec-
ton.
1t is evident to everybody that the
bureau chiefs of the Navy Department
are not friendly to Lieut.. Hobson. He
was ordered to Washington to tell
board, composed Of these chiefs, the
present status of the wrecking work
that is being done under the sunken
warships of Cervera, and to present
his recommendation as to what should
be done. Hobson made II long state
ment, showing what had been done
md expressing confidence that if he
was allowed to have his way he could
save three more of those vessels-the
Colon, the Nizcaya, and the Mercedes
and the Collier Merrimac, sunk by
him. incidentally he recommended
that the contract under which a |
wreckiDg company is being
paid $500 a day be annulled and all
The work done by the government.
Hobson also said that he was disposed,
it the department refused to furnish
The money to continue the work of
trying to save these vessels, to appeal
10 the people for contributions for
hat purpose. The board will recon-
mend that none of Hobson's recon-
mendations be adopted; that work on
The Vizcaya and Colon be abandoned |
and that the Merrimac be dynamited
instead OF raised. In addition to this
Turn down, Hobson has been told that
i will be considered insubordina-
ton" if he attempts TO do anything
to the recommendation OF
The board of chiefs. To show how
real experts regard Hobson's assertion
that the Colon and Vizcaya can be
saved it may be mentioned that a
Swedish wrecking Co., the largest in
the world, has offered to undertake
the raising OF both ships, this govern
mpnt not IN nav cent up1oes tbo,