The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1899-1900, 1899-04-05
WASHINGTON
LETTER.
POLITICAL GOSSIP AT THE NATIONS
fl CAPITAL.
The Presidents Return to Washington
Military Court Of Inquiry Washington
State Prosperity Gold Basis in Ecuador
Comparisons of ofAdmInistrations.

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| Comparisons ofAdmInistrations. of A
WAsHINGToN, April 3, 1899 --Presi-
dent Mckinley has not lacked for
work since his return to Washington.
but the statements sent out saying
that he was engaged in formulating
orders to send TO Gen Otis and that he
had about determined to issue call
for the 900 volunteers authorized BY
the army act OF the last congress we're
guesses wide of the mark. He has
sent no orders to Gen. Otis and has no
reason to do so. Gen. Otis is fighting
his campaign successfully, as his sue
cessive victories show, and there is no
intention to hamper him with orders
from Washington. AS to calling for
the volunteers, that has not been SER
iously thought of. Representative
Hull, chairman OF the military COM
mittee of the last house, who enjoys
the presidents confidence, and who is
good authority, said what would
be the use Of calling for more volun-
teersP We could not send them to the
Philippines in time for service there,
as all the advice indicates that the U.
$. forces are strong enough to crush
the insurrection."
Two representatives of the Cuban
Assembly are in Washington seeking
official recognition and the consent OF
this government to an issue of Cuban
bonds, but they will get neither.
The military court of inquiry has
been taking testimony, in Washington,
all this week. Among the witnesses
was Gen. Eagan, who stated that he
made mistake when he first testified
that the contracts required beef to
keep seventy-two hours after leaving
the refrigerators, and that twenty-four
hours was the time he had agreed to.
Mr.. w. X. Gay, U. S. District At
torney, who is at present in Washing
ton on business, gives this pleasing
picture of the state of Washington:
with the acquisition Of Hawaii, the
growth of our oriental trade, the prob
able retention of the Philippines, the
heavy Alaskan business incident to the
Klondyke boom, and the big wheat
crops that have lately blessed us, the
state of Washington is not only enjoy
ing prosperity, but is sanguine Of a
bright future. The Mckinley admins
tration Is very popular II our stnte.s
and the foreign policy Of the president
is cordially indorsed. Washington, /
think, has got back into the republican
column to stay. Free silver with us is
the deadest sort of an issue and il
would be impossible to interest the
leople in it again.
The following is taken from an Off
cial report of the U. S. Consul-Gen-
eral to Ecuador: "The change by the
world to a gold basis has finally driven
Ecuador to adopt the same course, and
congress has just enacted law OF
coinage which within two years
will place the monetary system on a
gold basis. Ecuador is the fourth
country of Latin-America to adopt
this measure, Venezuela, Costa Rica,
and Peru having already taken this
step. Brazil, Uruguay and Chile,
while nominally on a gold basis, are
really subject to the disadvantage OF
paper money, because their internal
financial condition precludes an easy
conversion of the currency"
The public debt of the U. s. istan in
teresting study, presenting some valu-
able object lessons in politics and gov
ernment administration. The total
public debt, less cash on hand, was on
March |, the latest date for which Off
cial figures are obtained, 81, ,l57 ,904 1892.
OF this 1884, ,622, 900 is chargeable to
the civil war; $262, 400 to the four
years of Cleveland last administra-
ton. and $l93, 1885, 900 to the war with
Spain. II each individual paid a pro
rata share OF the money needed to pay
the interest of the entire debt, the
charge would be about 80 cents year.
or this, 80 cents would go TO pay the
costs of the civil war; 10 cents to pay
the cost OF the last Cleveland admins
tration, and cents to pay the cost of
the war with Spain. No greater OBJ
ject lesson on the financial methods OF
democratic and of republican ad-
ministration could be found than is
furnished by the issues of bonds under
the last Cleveland administration and
under the present administration.
The annual interest charge on the
bonds issued by the last Cleveland ad-
ministration, when the country was
peaceful and ought to have been pros
porous, is $l1 ,492, ,6l6, while the annual
interest charged on the bonds issued
by the Mckinley administration to
fight successful war amounts to only
81, ,800,ts0. Yet, the amoInt OF bonds
issued by the democrats only exceeded
he amount issued by the republicans
by $8S, 0,45O. Mckinley sold 3 pei
cent bonds to the people; Cleveland
sold AZ per cent bonds to syndicate
Of bankers. The total of our public
debt is mere bagatelle compared
with our wealth and resources The
continuation Of the republican party in
power, which would mean continued
prosperity, would enable the'govern-