Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-03-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Washington, March 18th, 1898.

WUSH11GIOU, HOTCU IfuC, 1000.
President Mckinley is one of the
hardest worked men in the country
Just now. He has not Abandoned
hope that peace may be preserved
with honor, but he is working night
and day to place the country in po-
sition to wage successful war against
Spain just as though he was certain
that war is to come. His head has
not been turned even little bit by
the extraordinary confidence reposed
in him by Congress, in putting by
unanimous vote $4,000, 900 in his
hands to be used for national Defense
He is cool and deliberate, just as he
has b cen from the first. He calmly
ignor es the sensational reports of this
Or that European nation being about
to form an alliance with Spain, and is
as fully determined as ever to main
tain National honor at all hazards.
Nothwit outstanding various contrary
assertio ms, it is a fact that neither the
President nor the Secretary of the
Navy has received from any member
of the MainesCourt of Inquiry, sim
gle word intimating what the report
of the Court will be. They have, of
course, like all other intelligent men,
formed an opinion from the evidence
that has appeared in the columns of
respectable newspapers, of what the
probable nature of the report as far
as it concerns the explosion, will be,
but they have no inside knowledge of
what the court has done or will do,
and expect none, any more than they
would expect advance intimatiOn of
what decision of the U. S. Supreme
Court WOULD be in any given case
it might have under consideration.
There will be no delay in acting as
soon asIthe report, (which the Presi-
dent will accept as final, is made, and
Spain will not be allowed to delay re-
spending to the demands of this gov
eminent, if it be shown that the Maine
was blown up from the outside, and
of that there is now very little doubt.
While the President is keeping his
own counsel as to the demand that
will besmade upon Spain, it can be set
down as certain that it will be one
that will be Endorsed by the entire
AmericanEpeople, just as the Presi-
dents policy has been up to the pres
ent time, and it is generally believed
that it will include proposition for
definite settlement of the trouble in
Cuba. There are already strong indi-
cations that Spain has adopted a pol
icy of delay, which it will seek to car
ry out,s but it will seek in vain. 1t
will either have to meet our demands
promptly or fight.
No Quaker could profess greater
brotherly love for the United States
than does the new Spanish Minister,
who was presented to President
Mckinley Saturday. He talked as
though peace were assured and that
his greatest anxiety is to complete a
reel procity treaty with us. This talk
isn't throwing any sand in anybody's
eyes.
The confidence felt by Congress in the
President is duplicated by thatreposed
by the!President in his Secretaries of
War and Navy, and by that placed in
theiriBureau Chiefs by those Secreta-
ries. An instance of this confidence
is the case of Gen. Flagler, Chief of
Ordnance, who has been authorized
by Secretary Alger to place orders for
as much war material as he may deem
os,,
stances. Gen. Flagler has directed
all makers of both guns and ammuni-
ton to run their establishments to
their full capacity until further or
ders. But no waste or extravaganza
is to be countenancedi in either the
War or Navy Department; every dol
lar spent will be upon estimates, ap-
proved not only by the Secretary, but
by the President, and in writing at
that.
Congress is very decidedly opposed
to anything that might be construed
by the world as an alliance between
the United States and Great Britain.
The feeling against "entangling for
eign complications is quite as strong
now as it was in the days of George
Washington. We do not need any
help from England to fight our bat
ties, and we do not intend to help
England to fight her battles. This
feeling has been strongly expressed
since the idea became prevalent that
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