Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1898-06-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
FROM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT.
WASHINGTON, JUNE 6, 1898.

WASHINGTON. JUNE 6, 1898.
The administration is highly pleased
with recent war news, and even more
So with the outlook. Admiral Samp,
son only awaits the arrival of the army
which ought to be on the ground by
now, to make combined land and sea
attack upon Santiago de Cuba and to
capture or destroy the Spanish feet
now know to be in that harbor. 1t IS
impossible to say how long this will
take, owing to lack of definite knowl-
edge as to how strong defense the
land Notifications will be able to put
up, and the amount of assistance the
insurgents will give our land forces.
Although General Shafter. who is in
command of the army sent to assault
Santiago, will welcome any assistance
rendered by the insurgents, his plans
are IN no way dependent on their as
sistance. The assault will be a strictly
business one from the start. as the or.
ders of General Shafter are to take the
town of Santiago. and those of Admiral
Sampson TO take or destroy the Spanish
fleet.
The present program is to follow up
with the capture of Porto Rico, the
fleet going from Santiago to San Juan
and troops following at once from Flor.
ida. The opinion is strongly prevalent
in administration and diplomatic cir
Giles that if Santiago and Porto Rico
can be captured without any delay the
war will practically be over, and that
it will be unnecessary to send an army
to Cuba for the purpose of capturing
Havana. The ground for this opinion
is the belief that if these blows can be
struck in quick succession Spain will
realize that she has been sufficiently
whipped and will ask for peace, con.
senting to accept the loss of the Phil,
lippines, Porto Rico and Cuba. But
this opinion is not lessening the efforts
to push the war. Gen. Blanco is now
cut off entirely, The only Cnban cable
remaining uncut is that to Key West,
of which he can make no use. By the
time Santiago and Porto Rico are dis
posed Of we shall have our entire army
thoroughly equipped and ready to move
on Havana, if it be necessary to do so.
1t is heroic deeds like that performed
by Lieut.. Hobson and crew of seven
volunteers who carried the U, s, collier
Merrimac into the narrow mouth of
the harbor of Santiago de Cuba, under
hail of Spanish shot and shell, and
sunk her to obstruct the chanel, that
makes one proud to be an American.
When Admiral Sampson asked for vol
unteers for this perilous duty, regarded
as going to almost certain death, more
than four hundred men responded, al.
though only seven were wanted. The
seven heroes performed their work and
escaped death, but were all captured
by the Spanish. Promotion and ova
tion awaits them, when they are restor
ed to liberty either through exchange
or by the capture of Santiago by our
forces.
In the course of somewhat spirited
reply to an lntimation of Senator Allen
that the money spent by the Bimetallic
Commission during its visit to Europe
was wasted, Senator Wolcott, who was
at the head Of that commission, used
the following language, which shows
that he still has hopes: "The expert,
ment which is now being tried in India,
in the opinion not only of the blmetal'
lists of the world, but also Of nine tenths