Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-05-30
WASHINGTON LETTER.
rspH,l11 coBHrs1 osDHsoB OF TIE MONTE
Washington, Mag 18th, 1898.

Washington, Mag 18th, 1898.
President Mckinley, Secretary
Long, and Secretary Alger are dem
onstrating the possibility of keeping
the movements of our army and navy
absolutely secret. Other Officials in
both the War and Navy Departments
know of some of the movements and
contemplated movements, but al of
them are known only to those three
men. They are not known even to
the other members of the Cabinet,
they having themselves requested
that the knowledge be kept from
them. Although this policy and the
rigid censorship of all telegraph mat
ter sent from points where informa-
ton OF contemplated movements may
be obtained has only been fully in eff
feet for week, it's good effects are
SO apparent that there is no doubt of
its being maintained throughout the
war. Inform alton of anything ac-
com plished, or of any battle on land
or water will be promptly given out;
it is only news that would indicate
contemplated movements that is
withheld. Among the announce
ments that may confidently be ex-
pected-they may be made any day
is that the invasion of Cuba has been
successfully made, and that the Span
ish fleet, now in Cuban waters, has
been met and whipped. The two an
nouncements may be simultaneously
made, as there are indications that
the army and navy are moving to-
gether with those ends in view.
It is expected that the committee
on rules will this week report to the
House a special rule for the consider
alton of the joint resolution providing
for the annexation of Hawaii. The
adoption of the resolution by a ma
jority of nearly or quite one hundred
is certain when vote is taken, but it
cannotsbe voted upon until special
rule isreported.
There are politics, and very dirty
politics at that, being played in con-
nection with the war-revenue bill, |
which is still before the Senate. There
is nothing patriotic about the motive of
the silver men who are majority OF
the Finance committee for strik-
ing out the clause authorizing the is
sue of bonds and of certificates of in
debtedness and inserting in their
place authority for issuing nearly
5000, 600 in paper currency-$150,-
900, OOOIin greenbacks and $40, 00O,0 900 |
in silver certificates. And there is, if
possible, even less patriotism in the
manner in which those democratic, |
Senators, who have promised to join +
the republicans in voting to strike
out this fiat money clause and re-
insert the clause authorizing bonds |
and certificates of indebtedness are
being urged to ignore their promises
and vote for fat money. The radical |
silver men who are engineering this
movement have been disappointed |
because the first month of the war has
not resulted in sending gold premi-
ums. They know that if the bond |
clause is in the bill as it finally goes
through that there will be no |
probability of any suspension of gold |
payments by the administration, no
matter how long the war may last;
and they believe that if they can get |
fat money authorized, instead of
bonds, that gold will at once go to !
premium, and that will in some way |
be beneficial to the silverite and det-
rimental to the republican admins
tration and party. Nice game for
men, who call themselves Americans,
to be engaged in, in the face of an ex-
pensive almost a million a day is |
now being spent) foreign war, now
isn't it?
Major General Merritt, who will be
troops sent to the Philippine Islands,
as well as Military Governor of the
Philippines, has received his final in
structions and started for his far away
post. He expects to sail from San
Francisco about the first of June His
army will consist of about 16, 900 men,
nearly one third of them regulars.
There is much mis- information
throughout the country concerning
the functions of the Naval War Board,
usually mistakenly referred to as the
Strategy Board" The Naval War
Board is not charged with conducting
the naval portion of the war at all.
It's functions are entirely advisory.
The duty of the board is to keep
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