Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-04-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, April 4, 1898.

Vengeance is at hand There is to be no
more dillY-dallying with lying Spanish
diplomates. Uncle Sam is going TO take
Spain across his knee and give it thrash
hight has 81 long deserved at our hands,and
the cowardly and d >stardly massac. of our
sailors and the destruction of our battleship
is to be avenged. Even Mr.. Mckinley is
now convinced that Spain has been playing
him automatically for no other purpos
than to gain time. Mr.. Mckinley acknowl-
edged his failure to secure the independ-
ence of Cuba by diplomacy, and now it is
the turn of Congress, which this week will
either declare war against Spain, or adopt
legislation that will be equivalent to a
declaration of war A last frantic attempt
is being made by the bond-holding element
TO muzzie Congress, but there is no pos
sibility Of its succeeding Congress knows
that the end of the patience of the people
of the country who place national honor
and patriotism above the stock ticker of
Wall street has been reached, and that the
time OF action is at hand, and it will act ;;
and its action will mean war, which the
country is now in position to fight to a
victorious end in short order, if il only has
spain to contend with, and is determined
to win regardless of what it has to contend
with.
Every man who believes in honest and
open and above board dealing between
nations as well as between individuals, can
appreciate the feeling of the man who, after
listening to a lot of round about rot about
how we could make the Spaniards open
hostilities without our declaring war
against them, got excited and said: "They
blew up our war-ship /; they murdered
our sailors. That is why we want to pun
ish them" That is just exactly the truth.
Incidentally we shall be glad to free Cuba
and to relieve the suffering on the unfor
innate island, but the word that is mir
rored upon the average American heart ie
neither sympathy nor humanitarinism, but
revenge; for the treaeherous assassination
of our sailors and the blowing up our battle
ship.
There has been more or less speculation
concerning resolution offered in the House
by Representatives by Flemmer, of Georgia.
directing the Secretary of the Navy to in
form the House if thu document printed by
the Senate as the Presidents message and
evidence on the Name incident, contained
all the evidence embraced in the report of
The naval court of inquiry now on file ID
the Navy Deoaltment, and if not, to trans
nit to the House copy Of the omitted
evidence.
The French Ambassador to the United
States has asked the State Department
officially whether there was any objection
to his looking after the interests of Spanish
subjects in the United States after the de
parture of the Spanish minister, and has
been informed that there would be none
This action is regarded as being significant
of the intention of France to remain neu-
tral in the war, notN outstanding many
assertions to the contrary. 1t was added
TO by cablegram from Madrid saying that
both the French aud British Ambassadors
had rendered Cen. Woodford, United States
Minister to Spain, offers to care for Ameri-
can interests after his departure from
Madrid.
Few men possess the all around common
sense equipment ard temperament needed
to prevent the man who fills the position
of Secretary to the Presldent-the man
who stands between the President and his
callers, and either makes him lots of en-
emies or additional Misunderstanding him
self double barreled ass. Dan Lamont
was one OF the few Mr.. J. Addison Porter,
the gentleman who now fills the position.
Is not. He has made himself the laughing
stock of Washington by his frantic appeal
10 the editor of the Hartford Conn Couront
30 arouse the conservative people to The
support of the President, in order to pre-
vent majority of the Senators and Repre-
sentatiyes carrying out their INTENT to
force war upon the country. Inasmuch as
the Constitution copfers the sole authority
to make war upon a majority cf Senators
and Representatives, it would be interesting
TO know what power the conservative
people," even granting that they could
have been aroused by such an absurd APP
peal, could command that could override
the constitutional power of Congress. A
bottle of good strong smelling salts is what
Mr. ]. Addison Porter needs, great deal
more than he does the Republican DOmina-
ion for Governor of Connecticut, although
he Democrats of that State would probably
rejoice to see him nominated. His bysteri-
Cal appeal will doubtless get any claims he
ever bad to the nomination laughed out of
The field
If a bill, which has been favorably re-
ported to the House, becomes a law, ex-
Confederate soldiers who may hereafter
serve ninety days in the United States army
or navy will be entitled TO all the benefits
provided for ex United States soldiers III
the act of June 81, 1890, generally known
as the dependent act" The bill as
originally introduced merely provided as
an inducement for the Union veterans OF
the late war to enlist for the war with
Spain that enlistment should not operate to
st pensions now being drawn, but the
committee thought the ex-Confederate
veterans ~ould also make desirable recruits,
aud it was amneuded as above.
Heresey in the Camp.