The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1898-07-29
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.


WASHINGTON, ID. c., July 25th.
Mr.. ED1ToR:-If the recently officially
announced intention to send Commodore
| Watson's fleet to Spain was not bluff,
why in the name of common sense is the
official announcement now made that the
sending of the fleet to Spain has been in
definitely postponed Only a small por-
ton of the powerful fleet we now have in
| Cuban waters will be needed in the cam
pairn against Porto Rico, which was
| opened by the landing of Gen. Miles and
the troops with him on Porto Rican soil,
news of which has Just reached Washing
ton. At no time since the war started,
| could so many Of our strongest fighting
ships be spared to go to Spain as right
now This was acknowledged by Secre-
tary Long in conversation with a friend
who was trying to find out why the fleet
had not gone to Spain a Senator who is
very friendly with Mr.. Mckinley said on
the subject: The official announcement
of the orders to Commodore Watson, sew
eral weeks ago, was unquestionably made
to bluff Spain into begging for peace, and
now that Mr.. Mckinley has information
that the bluff had served its purpose, he
has caused it to be publicly announced
that the sailing of the fleet had been post
poned, in order that Spain may act"
But" said another Senator, suppose
that Snain doesn't ask for peace, what
them" -Tnen," said the first Senator
laughingly, Il suppose the bluff will be
repeated" "W ell" answered Senator
No :, 'that sort of a thing is a little too
Spanish to suit me; l believe that it is the
duty of the administration to fight this war
to a close at the earliest possible moment.
In trickery, we can never hope to equal
the Spaniards, and | should be ashamed to
be an American, if we could. We can
lick them every day in the week, when it
comes to fighting, and the sooner we send
the fleet over there to fight them at home,
the sooner we shall have peace"
The administration is showing dispo-
sition to make Gen. Shafter bear all the
blame for the break with Gen. Garcia and
IL
is not denied that, as a whole, what Garcia
complained of was the result of Skaters
carrying out orders given in Washing ton.
1t is claimed that he should have jollied
Garcia sufficiently to have made him be-
lieve that he was at least being consulted
about what was being done. The plain
truth is, that the administration doesn't |
want to quarrel with the insurgents, al
though it has been fully determined that |
the government of Cuba shall not be turned
over to them at the close of the war, I'M
less they can get majority Of the resi- |
dents of Cuba to declare by their votes in |
their favor 1t is willing to feed and |
clothe the insurgents and keep them sup |
piled with arms and ammunition without |
being too exacting as to the military duties |
they shall perform, but to go no further. |
That the Cubans should not be models |
either as soldiers or statesmen, is natural |
enough when one considers their persecu-
ton by Spain for hundreds of years; that |
sort of treatment never produces model |
men, but it has become plain that power |
full influences are at work to make the |
people of this country think them worse |
than they are. This question will bear |
close watching.
There is no other officer in our army |
who has profited to so great an extent |
personally as Gen. Leonard Wood, now
military Governor of Santiago. When |
the Maine was blown up he was Sur |
geon in the regular army, with the rank of |
Captain, stationed in Washington, per- |
forming among other duties those of fam |
lily physician to Mr.. Mckinley When |
Teddy Roosevelt conceived the idea of
enlisting the regiment of Rough Riders |
and had it approved by Mr.. Mckinley. he |
asked that DR.. Wood be made Colonel of |
the regiment. 1t was done. He was made |
a Brigadier General for gallantry in the
field, being strongly recommended for the |
promotion by his immediate superior, |
Gen. Wheeler, Fighting Joe" Just why |
he succeeded Mckibbin, who was first
named as military Governor of Santiago,
by Gen. Shafter is not so clear but it was |
probably because he was the Presidents |
friend and doctor, and wanted the place. |
A jump from Captain to Brigadier General |
is certainly extraordinary, even when one |
is as brave as Gen. Wood has proved him |
self to be and is the Presidents doctor and |
friend.
No visitor to Washington since the war |
opened has received a more cordial well |
come from everybody than Lieut.. Hobson,
the Merrimac hero, who came to hurry up |
the work at this end of the line of saving |
some of the wrecked ships of Cervera's |
saved if no time is lost unless there comes |
a severe storm before the ships can be got |
afloat
Nearly week ago it was officially an
nounced that Gen. Shafter had been or
dered to forward to Washington com
plete list of the soldiers who had yellow |
fever and of those who had died with it |
but as yet, he has only partially complied |
with the order Adiutant General Corbin |
says there is yellow fever IN every regi
ment of Skaters army, and that's why |
none Of them were allowed to go with |
Miles to Porto Rico
The Spanish troops at Caimancra, near
Guantanamo, have surrendered
Arc Y0sa ,M