The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-11-09
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondent

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6.-The ap-
pointment of a civil governor for
Cuba has been fully determined upon
and may be announced any day.
This does not mean that the soldiers
are to be at once withdrawn from
Cuba, but that civil Governor will
soon be given supreme control, with
our soldiers behind him to be used if
necessary to support his authority.
| 1t may be that the civil governor will
himself be a soldier. Gen. Ludlow,
at present Military Governor, of
Havana, who is now en- route to
Washington to confer with the
authorities on this matter. has been
mentioned in connection with the
civil governorship, as has Gen.
Leonard Wood, Military Governor of
Santiago, and Gen. Fitzhugh Lee,
who is with his family in Virginia,
on furlough.
The first work of the Congress,
soon to assemble for one of the most
important sessions held for years.
will be, if the whole power of the
administration is strong enough to
bring it about, the' adoption of a
Joint resolution declaring the inteD-
ton of this government to be, to re-
tain permanently the sovereignty OF
the Philippine islands. This is one
of the results of the preliminary re-
port of the Philippine Commission,
and of the Presidents conference with
the members of that Commission.
The Cabinet has unanimously decid-
ed, and the President and the Philip
pine Commissioners are Of the same
mind, that the very first thing Con
gress ought to do is to adopt a reso
luton that will convince the residents
OF the Philippines that this country
means to keep the islands. Such
action, they contend, will destroy the
only argument Aguinaldo has to
keep the instruction going.
Germany has had quite crop of
small labor strikes this year. Ac-
cording to report just received by
the Department of State from the I.
S. Consul at Frankfort, during the
first six months Of 1899, there were
STA strikes in Germany, affecting q
9l0 establishments, and 89,O4S en-
ployes, and covering almost every
line of industry. AS a rule, these
strikes were insignificant, as may be
Judged by the POI strikes in the
building trade, affecting $40 estab-
lishments and 27,94O employees.
In an interesting address on the
Alaskan boundary question, Hon.
John W. Foster. one of the High
Joint Anglo-American Commission,
and Ex-Secretary Of State, made 1t
plain that this government occupies
an impregnable position, based upon
official documents of both the British
and Russian Governments; also that
the Canadian proposition to arbitrate,
had string tied to it in the shape
of proviSo that the umpire should
be an European. Mr.. Foster told,
probably for the first time. that the
American Commissioners offered to
accept the plan OF settlement drawn
by Secretary 0lney and Sir Julian
Pauncefote in 1897, which he said
marked the most advanced stage yet
attained for the settlement of inter
national questions not susceptible of
adjustment by diplomatic negotia-
ton. That plan was to submit all
territorial questions to tribunal of
three judges of the INCEST standing |
in each country. aud to require the
vote of 5 out of the @ to make O bind
decision. SO anxious were the |
American Commissioners to have
this plan adopted that they agreed to
accept vote Of out Of the 6. as
final, but the proposition was rejected
by the British Commissioners.
According to a we'll informed dip
lomat, the triple control of the
Samoan Islands, by the u. s. Great
Britain and Germany, which has not
been satisfactory to anybody, is likely
to be terminated soon by the with
drawal Of Germany. which is to re-
ceive other island territory from
Great Britain for doing so. the occu-
patton Of the island Of Tituila. where
the U. S. coaling station on Pago
Pago harbor is being fitted mp at