Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-06-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June 10, 1898.

II is rot surprising that Admiral Samp-
son should have shown impotence in his
dispatches to Washington because OF the
delay in sending him the troops promised
He has had within the last week ample
cause for impotence, aye, and for indigna-
ton, too. He destroyed the outer forts at
Santiago. and had everything ready for
troops to land, bat there was no troops /;
he captured Guantanamo bay, and still
holds it, for the same purpose, but the
troops which ought to have been there to
land were on transports anchored at Tampa,
held up by orders from Washington. on
account of the cock and bull story about a
feet of Spanish warships being at Havana
ready to steam out and capture the troops
as soon as they started, until Sampson
could detach a number of his most for
midable ships and send them to convoy
the transports to Santiago. Meanwhile
Simpsons marines held all the Cuban
ground they have captured. Although
nothing official can be obtained, there is
reason to believe that the troops are now
on their way to Cuba. under convoy. The
frequency with which holdup orders have
been sent from Washington when important
movements were about to be started, on no
better foundation than wild and improbable
rumors, presumably OF Spanish origin,
makes it look as though somebody who
has influence enough to control the issuing
of orders has the misfortune to have a
streak of yellow down his backbone. 1t
cannot be stated to an absolute certainty
who this individual is, but, unless the
delays have beeo purposely made to pro-
long the war, there is little doubt that he
exists 1t is only where those in command
are out of reach of hold up orders that
notable success have been obtained.
Orders have been sent to Generals Cop
pinger and Lee, who are to command the
Porto Rican army, to get their men ready
to start, but there is no telling how many
hold up orders they will have to contend
with before they get off.
Oh yes, indeed, indeed
good little boy is Tommy Reed
After being compelled by the majority
of the House to get out of the way of the
consideration of the resolution for the
annexation of Hawaii, Gar Reed has the
audacitY to say, through his thick and
thin followers, that he never had stood in
the way of the majority, or intended to
stand in the way. This comes too late to
help the political fortunes of the Czar-ex-
Gear now. He has been deposed by Mr..
Mckinley, and will never again WELD the
autocratic power he has had. The annex
alton resolution will be voted upon We'd
uesday afternoon of this week, and will, of
course. be adopted. About twenty Demo-
Gratis have announced their intention to
vote for the resolution.
The fact that the war revenue law pro-
vides for the coinage of the silver bullion
owned by the government at the rate of
81 500 900 month destroyes every aTgu-
ment advanced by the gold standard men
against the coinage of the seigniorage. The
amount to be coined each month is less
than was proposed by the silver men, but
authorizing the coinage of any amount
was a recognition of the principle advo-
Gated by the silver men.
It is already announced that the sugar
trust and the standard oil trust will refuse
to pay the tax of one quarter of one cent
on their gross receipts in excess of $780,
600 imposed by the war revenue law. and
will go into court to fight the constitution
atty of the law.
1t is openly charged on every hand that
much of the inconvenience that the troops
have been put to has been directly trace
able to the incompetency of many of the
civilians appointed to important staff
positions by Mr.. Mckinley. Secretary
Alger now says that in ten days every
man in the army will be provided with his
full equipment for war. Then there can
be no further valid excuse for potteripg
along instead of at once fighting the war
to close.
There have been ugly reports from time
to time of the lack of harmony between
the fighting branches of the government,
and upon more than one occasion Mr.. Nc
Kinley is said to have had to exercise his
authority to compel them to work together.
1t is also said that there have been fire.
quent clashes between Gen. Merritt who is
to command the army in the Philippines,
and Secretary Alger also between the
latter and Gen. Miles, who is reported to
haYe charged Alger with being responsible
for the decentralization he found existing in
army matters when he got to Florida.
None of these things are pleasant to write,
but they explain why things are not NOV
ing faster.
Two dollar wheat fell to 70 cents on
ar Al