The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1899-07-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.

The latest newspaper resignH-
tions fixed up for Secretary Alger
were like all the rest. The Secre-
tary says he will not resign this
year, anyway, and that what he
may do next year will depend up
on his private business and his
health.
BY an order OF the President,
just issued, all ships owned by peo-
pie of Porto Rico and of the Philip
pines at the time of the exchange
of ratified copies Of the treaty of
peace are given all the privileges
and protection enjoyned by Amer
can shippings, including the right
to fly the American flag in all wa
tiers.
Secretary Long is being comph-
inented for having been shrewd
enough to see through what was
evidently a Spanish trick. A COM
munication from a foreign ship
broking firm was sent to the Navy
Department, Offering to buy all of
the Spanish war vessels captured
during the recent war. There is
very little doubt that the offer was
made for Spain, which doubtless
though it would rather give us
back a portion of those twenty mill
ions than to rest under the contin-
ual humiliation of knowing that Il
number of its war ships were under
the American flag Secretary Long
wrote the ship-brokers that the
vessels were not for sale; he knows
their value az object lessons in pa
triotism.
Among the prominent callers on
! the President this week was Gen.
7. l.. Rosser, of Va, who has Just
returned from Cuba and been mus
tered out as a Brigadier General of
volunteers. He says American
colonization furnishes the best So
luton of the Cuban problem, and
that he is fixing up n colonization
scheme that will fill the island with
Americans. Speaking Of the CON
ditions of Cuba, he said: Every
man on the island who owns a dol
lars worth Of property is opposed
to the u. S. flag ever being pulled
down. They know that it would
mean anarchy, chaos and oppres-
sion. The Cubans did not fight
with the sword, but the tracing of
their torches is now seen every
where, and the conservative peo-
pie do not know what would hap
pen should the U. S forces be with
drawn from the island.
An interesting question of inter-
national law was raised when the
French Ambassador submitted a
claim of $4,000 against this gov
eminent, made by a French women
who was passenger ON the French
steamer Olinde Rodriguez, which
was captured by the cruiser New
Orleans during the San Jaun block
ade, and who was sick with fever
while the vessel was detained in
Charleston hNrbor. After mature
consideration, Secretary Hay has
refused to recognize this claim, ac-
companying the refusal with a let
ter from Attorney General Griggs
setting forth the legal reasons why
this government was not RESPONSE
BILE. This will make a precedent
for dealing with large number of
similar claims, although tits proba
Die that the French Ambassador
will decline to accept Hays rejec-
ton of the claim rs final.
There is no indication that the
administration is doing anything
to encourage the annexation senti-
ment, either in the u. S. or in Gu
ba. On the contrary, an order is
sued to Gen. Brooke indicates the
intention of the administration to
carry outin good faith the original
intention of giving Cuba a local
government of its own as soon as il
may be safely done. The order re-
ferred to directs Gen. Brooke to
appoint two census supervisors in
each military district of Cuba, for
the purpose of taking a census of
the qualified voters of the island.