Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1898-06-25
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

cient to form Il safe reserve, and even
should the fleets not use up much imme-
Giately it will be fully two weeks before
the department will feel comfortable
over the quantity of both powder and
projectiles il has on hand. Every fac
tory in the country capable of manufac-
turing the powder and shell suitable FOR
the navy has been working full time for
upward of five weeks, and had such
start not been made every squadron now
at sea might have been crippled, at least
temporarily, for want OF an adequate
supply. There is no apprehension that,
whatever may be the extent of the war;
or however fierce and protracted some
of the naval engagements may be, the
government will always be In II position
to meet every demand fr ammunition,
but the experts are asking more than
that. and desire to lay upa large reserve
supply which they can use, should, by
any chance, all the powder factories be
blown up or disabled, and all the projec-
tile shops be rendered helpless for a
few weeks. The present output of powder
amounts to about $1,000 pounds day,
of which 120OO is furnished by an East
ern firm and the remained by concern
on the Pacific coast, which has fitted out
the Charleston and provided most of the
powder for Admiral Dewey's fleet at
Manila. This powder includes some or
the smokeless variety as we'll, but so
limited is the quantity that so far 1t has
been impossible to fit out more than
.,l, ,,I iplAS slf
Even at the present rate OF deliveries the
entire fleet could not be supplied in four
months. Every pound of powder. as
fast as manufactured is turned over 10
the leading government magazines, ana
from them sent south in such quantities
as may be demanded by the ships. The
casual bumbardment of the Cuban towns
and the continued firing on San Juan
thousands of pounds OF the
best powder made in this country, ana
more Of ii was burned probably in the
latter engagement than the entire navy
has expended in saluting purposes since
the ciVi war. The capacity or every rae
tory is now worked to the full limit and
1t is not conceived to be possible to in
crease the output very much. Still, even
at the present rate. II would take the
product of several days to supply the
amount used by Admiral Sampson =
squadron in his recent San Juan bonn
bardment. Captain O'Neil the ordnance
chief. states that not only will the navy
in another week have all the powder
that ii may possibly require. but re-
serve supply capable of meeting every
for several weeks. The same, he
says, will be true of projertiles. AT pres
ent 5000 projectiles of the heaviest type
are completed daily, and shipped to
naval stations for transfer to vessels.
ON ha nd are thousands of all classes, and
especially of the smaller kind, of which
ten times as many are used in actual
battle. Every branch of ordnance seems
to be amply fortified for any emergency,
and especially is this true Of guns and
small arms.
IN A PECULIAR POSITION-Con-
gress, as may have been noticed, re-
Gently endorsed the claim Of the south
ern Methodist book concern for $2SS,OOO
TN account of damages inflicted during
the civil war; This claim had been kick
ing about the. lobbies of the national cap
itol for quarter of a century. The book
concern is managed by u committee of
the general conference uf the Methodist
church SOUTH and it's profits go to the
support of fsuperannuated ministers. Its
agents are Barbee & Smith Of Nashville.
When the claim was last pending in the
senate there was report in circulation
that a large fraction Of the claim had
been pledged to a lobbyist. On inquiry
Barbee & Smith explicitly denied that
lobbyists were to get anything. Since
the approval of the claim it has been
found that one Major Stahlman had
been working at Washington for the
concern on a promise of 35 per cent of
the money obtained from the United
States treasury, and that this percent
age has been or is to be paid. The con-
sequence was lively Indignation ses-
sion of the senate last Thursday over
the deception, and an investigation has
been ordered. Meantime the govern
inent of the Methodist church south has
been placed in peculiar position.
EQUAL TO THE OCCASION-There
was an amusing incident in the course
of Saturdays debate on the Hawaiian
resolution in the house. Champ Clark
of Missouri said that the policy Of col
oniza ton. while gorgeous in appear
was fatal in experience or else
all history is a lie." and then he went on:
Mr.. Speaker. if this policy Is pursued as
the jingoes want and you are here pre-
siding over the house 20 years hence, you
will be called upon to recognize the
gentleman from Patagonia, the gentle
man from Cuba, the gentleman from
Porto Rico. the gentleman from Green
land, the gentleman from Hong Kong,
the gentleman from Fiji, and with fear
and trembling the gentleman from the
Cannibal islands. as he gazes with
cleaning eyes and glistening teeth upon
your imposing and tempting SELF" This
brought down the house. but it then ap-
peared that Mr.. Reed, whose great avor-
dupois was to arouse the appetite Of
the representative from Cannibal ISL
ands. was not presiding. but occupied
seat on the floor. Whereat another
great laugh arose which was met in ex-
cellent humOr by Clark, who added: 1T
Is unnecessary to say / prepared that
for the regular occupant of the chair"
SENT HIM FOR SAFETY-Somebody
waited on President Mckinley the day
before Mr.. Straus was nominated min
lister to Turkey and informed him that
Mr.. Straus was wicked free trader, and
that he had spoken and written against
McKinleyism and Dingleyism. rs that
so?' said the president "Then the best
thing to do with him is to send him out
of the country at once, and I'm going to
do it,"
She says that since she married she
has been through everything.
Yes. Her husband says the same thing.