Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1898-11-25
WASHINGTON LETTER
CFrom our Regular Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2l.-lnside
information from Europe concerning
the back down ofihe Emperor Will
liam from his bluff, intended to make
Spain and this country believe that
he was about to take hand in the
disposition of the Philippines, is the
cause of much quiet amusement in
diplomatic and official circles. This
bluff was the Emperor's announce
ment of his intention to visit Spain,
on lis way home from the Holy
Land; an announcement that resulted
in an unexpected stitching of the
backbones of the Spanish Peace
Commissioners, but did not change
the American policy a hairsbreadth.
The backdown. which has made him
the laughing stock in every capital IN
Europe, except his own, was lis
announcement "On account of the
weather" he had abandoned his
visit to Spain. The "wealher' in the
case was a straight tip that his iu-
tentions towards Spain were of no
more consequence to the |. 5. than
the presence of those German war
ships in Manila Bay were to Dewey,
and would have 10 more effect; and
that if lie was looking for trouble he
could find it by meddling i'll any way
with Uncle Sam. 1t is stated by
members of the administration that
Spain has been notified that our de-
mand must be accepted or refused in
a given time, but the time is not
given.
Prof Robt. T. Hill, of the L. 5.
Geological Survey, whose full knowl-
edge of the subject is unquestioned,
said, in a lecture before the National
Geographic Society, on Cuba and
the Home Lite of the People" "The
opinion regarding the Cubans, which
is now, unfortunately, quite preva-
lent, is very largely erroneous. They
are by no means lot of thieves, al
though, undoubtedly there is large
class of these on the island. The
larger part of the population, how
ever, is composed Of intelligent
fairly-well educated men, who have
property interests to guard and bust
ness affairs to superintend, as in any
other civilized country. In meehan-
ical lines, the Cubans have not pro
gressed as rapidly as they might, for
they are essentially un agricultural
people. AS tillerS of the soil they
rank very high, and many of their
plantations are models of their kind.
While the Cuban army contained a
large percentage of colored people,
there are thousands and thousands OF
pure white men, thoroughly Cuban
in heart and mind. Then, too, the /
colored Cuban himself is not such a
bad fellow. In fact, Cuba is the only |
one of the West Indian islands, in
which | have found that the cOlOred |
man will wo X; in Porto Rico and all |
the ather islands, his wife, like the
Indian squaw, is forced to perform all
the drudgery. In Cuba, as you
know, the colored NAH enjoys social
accorded him ia few other
places, but there is no danger that
the island will ever become African
zed as the negro population Is con-
,tantly decimated by disease, while
The white thrives and increases in
Private James S. Sewers, of the
1lst New York, told the war investi-
eating commission that the reason
the regulars Jared better than vol
rnteers in the Cuban campaign, and
was that the regular
)fiiccrs took care of their men, while
he volunteer officers took care of
themselves. He is the first private
who has told the Commission that,
Dut thousands of them have told the
s,me thing TO their friends.