The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1898-05-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.
tTrom Our Regular Correspondent

On to Cuba! That is the watchword
Of the army that is being gathered at the
earest points Of embarkation as fast as
possible. There has been no change in
the plans of the administration, but the
bad guesses of many newspapers have
made it necessary for them to announce
that changes have been made. While
the original plans for the invasion OF
Cuba have not been changed, they have
been widened and enlarged because the
President has obtained accurate know.
ledge showing that 1t will be impossible
for the insurgents to render aid to the
in vadipg army that it was at first sup
p osed they could. The insurgents are
widely. scattered, and according to the
best information they could not all be
gotten together for the purpose Of assist.
ing in making an assault upon Havana
inside month or six weeks. Therefore
the President will not wait for them, but
will land an army in Cuba large enough
to lick the Spanish army, at the first pos.
sible moment-the first installment of
that army will probably be on Cuban
soil before this is printed, but it is just
as we'll for the impatient to remember
that it takes more time to move an act.
ual army than it does to move an army
on paper.
There is much regret that Admiral
Sampson did not get chance to fight
the Spanish feet, but many officers have
been from the first of the opinion that
Spain was afraid to trust portion OF her
warships in American waters, and that
if they come at all it will be all together.
President Mckinley has probably not
cent single nomination to the Senate
that afforded him more genuine pleasure
than that Of George Dewey, the hero of
Manila, to be a Rear Admiral. The
Senate promptly confirmed it.
The accounts of the wrecking com.
panies which were ordered to stop work
on the wreck Of the Maine and send
their boats home when it was seen that
war was inevitable, were this week set.
tied by the payment of $4,000 by the
Navy Department. The wreckers re-
covered government property worth
much more than that. In fact, the five
6.inch guns they fished out of the wreck
are alone worth more.
The Senate has adopted the joint res.
olution, proposing constitutional
amendment changing the date for the
Inauguration OF President and Vice Pres.
ident and for the expiration OF the terms
of Senators and Representatives from
March 4th to May 4th, to take effect in
1901. This is an all around good amend
m ent and it ought to be put into effect.
Besides insuring pleasanter weather for
Inauguration Day, it would give Con.
gress an opportunity to do something
more at the short sessions than to pass
the appropriation bills.
AS rule Republican members of the
House do not see what good would be
accomplished by Congress taking re.
cess for five weeks, after the business of
the session is completed, as provided
for in a resolution offered by Represen.
tative Dockery, of Missouri, and referred
to the Ways and Means Committee, in.
stead of adjourning until December.
Therefore there is no probability of the
adoption Of the resolution. The only
thing that Congress has to do with the
the conduct of the war is to furnish the
m oney that will be needed. When that
has been done there is no reason-no
good reason-why Congress should not
ad journ until December. The admins.
tration has shown that it knows how to
conduct the war successfully.
The U. s. Treasury is now paying out
gold over its counters in lieu of paper
currency, because 1t has 40 much free
gold on hand and more is constantly com.
ing in, in the course of ordinary business.
This is an object lesson to the nations
of the world on the financial strength
and resources of the U 8.
Ex.secretary Tracy, who has been in
Washington this week comforting with
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Philippine Islands: "We must hold
them. They were taken a. war meas
ure, and they are magnificent posses.
sion for this country. The Monroe Doc
trine does not apply to them. They
were not taken for the sake of conquest,
and their possession comes to rs legiti
mately and rightly. We will find 1t more
difficult to get rid of them than to keep
them, because international complies
tions may cause other nations which
would like to have them to be afraid to
offer to buy them. We must keep them
after having captured them. - We have y
The silver Senators are still playing
with fire by hanging mp the war revenue
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