Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-06-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, May 80, 1898.

D~t3
The Administration several days age
announced it's belief that the Spanish heel
was cooped up in the harbor at Santiago d.
Cuba, and that Commodore Schley with
his strong feet was at the mouth of thai
harbor, and both have been daily reiterated
But the Administration has thrown doubts
upon its own confidence in its announced
belief by failing to order the invasion o.
Cuba. Steamers enough to carry 10000
men to Cuba are at Key West, Tampa, and
nearby points, under government charter
at an expense something like $4,000 q
day, and the troops are also ready to EN-.
bark at an hours notice. But no order has
! been given, although it had been officially
stated that the invasion of Cuba would be
ordered the hour that it became absolutely
certain that the Spanish feet was where il
could not interfere. If it is on the inside
of Santiago harbor and Schley is on the
outside, it could not interfere. But is il
there The man who can answer that
question knows more than the whole AID
ministration outfit. Everybody hopes, bni
nobody seems TO know. Schley spent two
days watching the mouth of another Cuban
harbor, last week, under the impression
that the Spanish feet was inside. His
mistake has made him cautious about max
ing positive statements That is why be
has not gone further up to this time than
to say that he believes from information
that he had received from insurgents and
others that the fleet is inside of the harbor
at Santiago, before the mouth of which he
is now watching. He has been instructed
to find out to q certainty.
Two more prominent exConfederates
have been given Generals commissions by
MIR. McKinley-ex Senator Butler, of s. c.,
Major General, and ex-Congressman and
ex-Goyernor Oates, of Alabama, Brigadier
General-and it is stated at the War De-
partment that several more will be sim
iliarly honored this week.
Senator Cockrell, in strong speech IN
favor of coming the seigniolage of the
silver bullion owned by the Government
and of issuing greenbacks instead of bonds,
said Sacrifices must be made in this
war. 100000 men have been taken from
the industrial pursuits of the country, and
are engaged in waste and destruction. War
is waste. War creates loss aad destruction.
All the people should bear the burdens
alike Sacrifices must be made, but we
cannot tighten the burdens or prevent the
losses of the war by an issue OF bonds"
After ridiculing the calling of the proposed
issue of bonds Z" a popular loan." and
characterizing it as fraud and a fake
on the very face of it," Senator Cockrell
said "The golden opportunity of the
bankers and the bond holders has come,
and now they rush in for more bonds in
order that they may more securely fasten
the single gold standard on the country.
We want the war carried on, for we believe
it to be humane and just war. We feel
some responsibility for having forced the
war upon the country. But we are patriotic.
We are not demanding the substitution of
the bimetallic system, but we are asking
that instead of bonds. | shall vote against
any bill that contains a provision for
interest bearing bonds"
Senator German said in his speech on
the proposition to coin the silver seignior-
age: . In my judgment it would be un-
wise-iU would be fruitless, to attempt to
push that question to the front while the
country has the Spanish army and navy to
confront. That is question we ought to
fight out in time of peace. I have always
been a partisan have voted for my party
even when some of its candidates did not
quite meet my approval. Bat in a crisis
ike this do not know my party. | know
only the highest interests of my country
Knowing how sharp is the political diVis-
ion upon this proposition, cannot vote for
it at this time. no matter how just it may
be in the ABSTRACTION as proposition stand
ing alone.n Senator German supported the
proposition to issue bonds, because he said
no war had ever been conducted without
an issue of bonds, and because he believed
that if the bill failed to provide for an
| issue of bonds, Mr.. Mckinley would issue
them under the law OF 1875, just as Mr..
Cleveland did.
It begins to look as though Hon. Thos
Bracket Reed, otherwise known as the
Gar OF the House, had big dose of hum
BILE pie to swallow He played the auto
crat just once too often, when he undertook
| to 90 against Mr.. McKinly and nine tenths
or more, of his party on the annexation
question. He was given more than week
| in which to escape this dose of humble pie
/ but he had succeeded so often in having
his own way regardless of what Others
| thought, that he neglected to take advan-
tage of it by signifying his willingness to
vote for special rule from the Committee
on Rules setting time for the House to
| vote on the annexation resolution. Then
MI. Mckinley got mad and under his direc-
| ton Gen. Grosvenor secured the signatures
| of more than three-fourths of the Republi-
can members of the House to request for
a caucus to demand the desired rule. Then
| the ultimatum was served on the Gar. He
was notified that he could eat his humble
pie by voting for that rule at once, or he
could wait to have it crammed down his
throat by party cancus; but eat it he
must.