The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1898-03-18


for him in order to get the impressions
which he gained of the Cuban affair dur
ing his stay there. He told them min
utely of his observations. After con-
Guiding the interview, he donEed his hat
and was about to leave, when he thought
of the consul down there who did not
seem to appreciate the gravity of the
situation.
by the way, Mr.. President" said the
newspaper man, 1.-The consul at Cienfue-
goes is not credit to the administra-
ton, and he is weekly reporting entirely
differently from the actual facts which
exist in the province where he is To-
Gated"
Thanks for the information" unused
President Mckinley.
HE would be a good man to remove
then" suggested Judge Day.
That's the principal reason why Mr..
McGarr has checked his baggage for his
old home in Tennessee, while Mr.. Fee of
Ohio has engaged passage on the next
boat for Havana to take up his duties as
consul at Cienfuegos.
Speaking of consuls, notice that the
presidents nomination of DR.. e. j.
Banks of Greenfield, VT, to be consul at
Bagdad, Turkey, Is being printed in some
places to the effect that DR.. Banks
lives in Greenfield, Mass. This is a
mistake. He is a Vermonter and lives
at Greenfield in that state. Massachu-
sets has got about all the juicy consul
plums that will fall into her apron,
while Vermont has only begun on the
second course of a 38-course patronage
dinner" You will remember that Yer
mont was the only New England state
which displayed a Mckinley sentiment
previous to the st. Louis convention.
This was good investment for the
Green mountain boys, who are now max
ing home runs every once in While by
securing nice little plums to keep them
in pin money. They make their APP
plications for positions, Senator Proc
tor presses the button, and the president
does the rest.
Mr.. Barrett of Massachusetts has in
troduced a bill for the preservation or
the frigate Constitution, now lying at
the Charlestown navy yard 1t provides
that the secretary of the navy shall
cause the hull and rigging of the YES
sci to be made to correspond with their
condition when the Constitution was in
the zenith of her fame, with funds to be
raised by the Massachusetts State So
ciety United States Daughters of 1872.
The society asks no appropriation from
congress. 1t simply wants permission
to undertake the work, raising the
money itself. If congress grants the
| request the patriotic desire of the So
ciety will begin at once and it will I'M
dertake with enthusiasm to collect a
large fund for the purpose indicated,
the idea being to keep the good old ship
under the shadow of Bunker Hill until
time shall be no more.
Lieutenant Colonel S. M. Mansfield,
u. S. A, in charge of river and harbor
improvements at Boston, has given the
Merrimac river from Lowell to the N.
H. state line the marble heart" Some
of the distinguished citizens of Lowell
and vicinity, through the Instrumental
ity of Congressman Knox, had inserted
in the last river and harbor appropri7
alton bill a provision providing for a
survey of the river from Lowell up with
a view to improving it. The result of
that survey has just been sent on. The
United States assistant engineer who
made the survey simply states the facts,
although between the lines it is noticed
drop from the report This report is
endorsed by Colonel Mansfield, who
states that the river from Lowell to the
New Hampshire state line lis unworthy
of improvement" Colonel Mansfield's
report was forwarder to Brigadier Gen.
Wilson, who pours more cold water on
the project, and passes the document
along to Secretary of War Alger, who
gives the idea parting kick by for
wardng the papers to congress, where
they will be filed and forever more will
sleep the sleep which knows no waking.
The drydock matter, in which Boston
is so earnestly interested, seems to be
a parallel case to that of a drowning
man. A month ago, before the Spanish
situation became acute, the whole prop
osition was sinking for the third time,
in unfair parliamentary tactics and a
strong desire for economy in the ma
tional expenditures. The present war
cloud came to the rescue and has saved
the idea from death. Practically all the
members of the house naval committee
now believe in the authorization of new
drydocks by the present bill, which will
be reported this week When this step
is taken, Boston will surely be included.
1 fancy that congress will go down into
history as a body which has furnished
very striking illustration of both pol
itics" and craftsmanship"
It's illustration of the former was seen
when the Teller resolution was defeated
in the house on Jan. 81. There was
more politics in the vote which was
cast on that resolution than has been
seen in an American congress for long
time. That resolution formed the ba-
sis of the coming congressional and
presidential elections, and therefore,
every member of congress was careful
where he recorded himself. In a nut
shell, it was a reputation of the free
coinage of silver by a vote of 1872 to 1872,
a clear majority of 90.
Democrats, Republicans and Popu
lists voted for it., and Democrats, Re
publicans and Populists voted against