The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-04-01
" ashingtOn Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

w ASHINGTON, ID. q. Mar. ~, 1913
There is no cooler man in Washing
ton than President Mckinley, al
though his is the greatest individual
responsibility in deciding the action
taken upon the report of the Naval
Court Inquiry. Another certainty is,
that President Mckinley will not al
low himself to be influenced by any OF
the numerous stories as to what Eu-
ropean nations may think that he
should DO, but will act solely in the
interest of the national honor of the
U. S., without regard to the probable
approval or disapproval of his action
by any European power or powers.
The Name was our ship, the Court
that made the investigation and re-
port was composed of our Naval Off
GERS, and it is our affair to take what
action we please upon that report, and
we are going to do it, This isn't
spreadeaglelsm, but plain everyday
patriotism, which is shared by every
American whose heart is in the right
place.
Congress and the country will be
furnished an itemized statement show
ing every cent expended from that
special $50, 100000 emergency appro-
priation, President Mckinley having
directed the preparation of a special
form of requisition for these funds,
which must be signed by the President
himself before they can be honOred,
and the opening of special emergency
account in the books of the Treasury.
The gun-shop in the Washington
Navy Yard reminds old-timers of the
war time activity in the same yard,
but upon different class of work.
During the war this was strictly
Navy Yard now it is only Navy
Yard in name, its principal work being
the making of guns-some OF the finest
in the world have been and are being
made here,-mountings and ammuni-
ton for the Navy. Not minute is
now being lost IN the Yard, one OF
three eight-hour shifts OF men being
continuously at work.
By far the ablest and most interest
ing paper the government has recent
ly published is the report for 1897 Of
Hon. A. P. Greeley, Acting Commis-
sioner of Patents. Inventors, paten-
tees, manufacturers, capitalists, and
publiclsts, who wish to understand the
greatness of American industry and
how indissolubly it is associated with
the patent system of the U. S. should
read this pamphlet, which may be OBJ
tanned free by addressing request
for it to the Commissioner of Patents,
Washington, D. G.
The three Commissioners appointed
by the Cuban Cabinet to act with the
Spanish Minister in negotiating re-
ciprocity treaty with this country
were presented to Secretary Sherman
today, by the Spanish Minister, and
later they called ON Hon. John A.
Kasson ,Iwho has charge of the interests
of this country in all reciprocity ne
gotiations. They expressed an anxiety
to proceed at once with the treaty, but
it is not probable that any material
progress will be made until it becomes
q little clearer that it will be worth
while to make such treaty. If we
are to have war with Spain, there will
be no such treaty negotiated, and if
we recognize the independence of
Cuba, we should thereby officially de-
clare that Spain bad nothing more 10
do with Cuba. These Commissioners
may be entirely honest in their inten-
tlons, but the administration has not
forgotten Senior de Lome's advice that
these negotiation be pressed as blind.
nor the statement made on the floor
} of the Senate few days a. O by Sena-
! tor Proctor, showing the weakness IN
Cuba of the so-called government that
these Commissioners represent. In
plain English, these Commissioners
are being treated with every courtesy
due them, but they are not throwing
any sand in your Uncle SamuePs eyes.
| BRAINS remarks that the motto,
"Strike while the iron is hot" is good
advice, but that CromwelPs amend
ment-oMake the iron hot by striking
itn-is better. IL YOU sit around and