The National tribune., 1899-05-11
NEWS OF THE WEEK.

Considerable excitement was caused in
Official circles last week by the seizure Of
pamphlets containing matter alleged TO be
sed.tious, issued by the Anti-lmperiailst
League at Boston, the head of which is
Edward Atkinson. Copies Of these pam
phlets had been put in the mails for
Manila, and would have been distributed
among the soldiers. But the Postmaster
General, after Cabinet meeting at which
the Attorney General gave his views as to
the law OF the case, ordered that all tins
mail be seized before it left San Francisco.
The Attorney-General declared that gSec-
ton 233l, under the heading of crimes
against the Government, covered the
point This provides that "every person
WHO inciteS, sets on foot, assists or en-
cages i'll any rebellion against the au-
thoTity OF the United States or the laws
thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto,
shall be punished by imprisonment not
more than 10 years OF by fine OF not
more than $4,000, or by both OF such pun
iSiiments; and shall, moreover, be IN m
capable OF holding any Office under the
United States" This, he thought, COY
cred the case of MIR. Atkinson and the
others who are advising the volunteers IN
the Philippines not to re-enllSt, ana are
criticizing the policy of the Government IN
most offensive terms; the administration
does not believe that this literature can
hurt the Government in this country, put
would be very misleading III the Phliip-
mines. tendi ~ to make the army DIS
contented and prolong the struggle with
the Filipinos.
The march OF education has COM
| mcnced in Porto Rico. John Is. Eaton,
Superintendent of Schools, has formu-
lated public school law, which Will go
into effect on July 1. All schools sup
ported by public taxation will be public
schools, free to all persons between the
ages of six and IS who are residents OF
the island. The pay Of the teachers Is to
| be from $40 to SIS month, and tne
| budget for the year calls for S325,OOo tor
the first year. Text books are to be
| loaned free, and municipalities must pro
vide rooms or buildings, according to the
requirements.
REPRESENTATIVE Babcock is authority for
the statement that the House Republican
| Caucus of Committee on Currency mas
| agreed upon bill to be presented next
session The nature of this the members
will not disclose until it is submitted 10
| the Senators who are to confer with them.
| Mr.. Babcock believes it will receive the
| Endorsement Of the Republican part OF the
! House and be satisfactory to the business
| interests of the country.
| Correspondence from Samoa by way OF
| New Zealand, May 2, indicate that the
! instructions received from the powers to
cease hostilities make the situation IN
| the islands serious, as the rebels hold the
| main food supplies and are again near
| the municipality of Apia. 1t is said that
the rebels and the Germans are in high
spirits, claiming a victory over the BRUSH
and the American forces. The ADMINS
| tration authorizes the statement that no
undue restraint has been put upon Ad-
| Il ,pt CinIrl1
| insurgents.
The German public, as revealed by
| this weeks dispatches, appears TO be
under the impression that both England
and the United States have wholly and
rather brutally disregarded German in
terests in Samoa. The Agrarian and
many other influential German news
papers also charge the Imperial Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Baron Won Bulow,
with a supine disregard of Germanys S
legitimate interests, declaring that has
policy is too conciliatory.
Some interesting figures as to the ap-
/ proximate cost of the Spanish war have
| lust been obtained at the Treasury De-
| partment. The first months of the pres
ent fiscal year the expenditures OF the
| Government were Sj33, 300 3p3, an increase
of S220, ,593, 421 over the year before, and
including the s2O,o0O,00o paid to Spain.
| The ordinary expenditures have been
! about the same. This increase really is
! all due to the war with Spain, and indeed
| the expenses OF the Army and Navy ,for
April, May and June of 1897 were enor-
| NOUS; the increase for the same three
months in 1888 OF S5i,9oi,3I6. IL Is be
| lieyed that when everything has been
paid and the status Of things becomes
| normal-of course adapted to new con
| dilion-the expenses resulting from the
war with Srai7 will reach 100000 600.
One man who, having ample means to
1 l.. ftta
does not believe them capable OF sell
government is Capt. II. l.. Street, U. S. A,
| Commissary in charge Of supplies sent TO
Cuba on the ship Conal since Jan. II.
He visited Washington May 2. He has
| carried TO CubanS 100000 rations, and in
addition condensed milk, soups, rice,
sugar, coffee, etc. He visited seven OF
the principal cities Of Cuba. Capt. Street
says the Cubans take all they can get and
| do not thank the givers. He cited case
where a gentleman owning a very large
plantation near Nuevitas Zone OF the
places where supplies are distributed),
operating S2,0)o,000 worth of machinery,
| could not get the 1000 men he was
anxious to employ. The Government was
feeding them and they did not propose to
work. Capt. Street said that outside OF
| these able-bodied folks who are receiving
rations, there were in the interior Of
Cuba a large number of the widows and
| orphans of Cubans who were killed or
died of disease in the war. 1t was
question in his mind whether they ever
got the food sent them, there being no
organizations there to properly assist in
the work, and a Cuban mans first
thought being for himself. Capt. Street
says if the Cubans were left to undertake
self government it would result in
anarchy, brigandage and revolution. The
large number of intelligent, educated Gu
bans are a small part OF the whole; they
favor annexation, believing the better
element cannot control affairs.
| Secretary Alger was asked in Detroit,
Mich, May ), il he would be candidate
before the next Michigan Legislature for
| United States Senator, TO succeed Senator
| Mcmillan. He said in part: 81 will say
| frankly that did think that if the State
should see fit to send me to the Senate |
would appreciate the honor, but after all
nv State has done for me ! shall not
enter into any scramble for it. Senator
! Mcmillan assured me himself long time
ago that he would probably not be
cadidate again, and that if he was not he
would do all he could for me. | think il
| he had changed his mind and intended to
/ be a candidate l would have heard some
| thing "A hOut it !"