The Press., 1899-04-20
Washington Letter.
washington April II, 1899.

topIeioAce nave ueeu pTopdfeu ny the tu-
ministration with the expectation that
the conference will produce practical re-
sults-probably not exactly along the
lines proposed by the Gar, but still re-
suits that will be beneficial to all the
nations which will be represented at the
conference. The text of the instruc-
tions to our commissioners has not been
made public, and is not likely to be in
advance of the conference, which meets
next month, but it is known that they
strongly emphasize the position of this
government In favor of International ar
bitration; also that they favor an agree
ment for the further amelioration of the
horrors of war, along the lines of those
which have been secured by the Geneva
Red Cross society at various times.
The military court of inquiry is still
taking testimony, although it had hoped
to finish last week. Although some
prominent officers have been on the stand,
little that was either new or important
was brought out. Several acts of the
court have served to deepen the impress
sion of the unpreiudlced public that the
| court is prejudiced against Gen. Miles.
especially its fiat refusal to summon six
particular witnesses whose names were
furnished by Miles.
Representative Packer of Pa, who has
| u st returned from a visit to Cuba, said !:
1.-The impression I got was that our
| troops will have to stay down there
long time. One of our leading generals
talked the situation over with me fully
and frankly. His idea is that congress
made fearful mistake in adopting the
Teller resolution that disclaimed any in
tention on our part to annex Cuba. The
respectable and educated element-most-
ly Spaniards- say they will be glad to see
annexation come about speedily, but the
general was not sure how far these peo-
pie could be depended upon to make
good their talk. If an election were held
at an early day. they might vote contrary
| to their declarations, about the desirable
ity of annexation. All the Americans
over there are of the opinion that Cuba
must, sooner Or later, be annexed to the
what circumstances, they do not pretend
to predict"
| The disposition at the German embassy
to consider the Samoan question disposed
of, now that it has been arranged that
commissioners representing the United
States, Great Britain and Germany shall
sail from San Francisco on the 25th inst
with authority to make temporary changes
in the government Of Samoa, pending the
consideration of their reports by their
respective governments, is not shared by
many Americans. American officers and
men were killed in ambush near Apia,
and the charge made that the ambush
was the result of German treachery. II
investigation shall show that charge to
be untrue, Americans will rejoice; If not,
they will demand full reparation from
Germany, and they will refuse to con-
slider the matter closed until the result
of the investigation is known. Ameri-
cans do not regard the appointment and
departure Of the commission as settling
the matter, but as starting in the proper
way to get at the bottom of it. If there
has been wrong doing, whether by Amer
leans, Germans or Englishmen, it must
be not only shown up, but punished.
Secretary Alger, who has returned from
a trip to Cuba and Porto Rico, and re-
sumed his position at the head of the wal
department, doesn't talk like man who
has any idea of resigning in fact, he
very distinctly says that he has no such
idea. On the contrary, he talks of the
work in Cuba and Porto Rico as though
he expected to be connected with it for {
long time. He says the greatest need o.
Cuba is education for the masses thai
there is comparatively little distress nov
on the island, among men, and that tht
condition of the INDECENT widows and chill
dren is being steadily improved, and h
paid this compliment to our boys in blue
II never saw, anywhere, a finer body o
men than the American soldiers now il
Cuba" He summed up his trip thusly
81 am more than satisfied. OF course,
realize that there is great deal yet to b.
done, and that perfection is a plant o
slow growth. l return, however, will
unquestionlng faith in the future. re
turn, too, a better American, if such
thing is possible, than when l went away
When realize how great a work the U
s. has undertaken and how magnificent,
that work is being accomplished, fee
that our country has taken another strid
forward in the noble task of helping t.
civilizs and uplift humanity. The tim
is not far distant-if, indeed, it is not al
ready at hand-when the people of Cub
and Porto Rico will rise up and call II
blessed. In the fastening of that da
every American has a common interes
and PRIDE
Inspector General Breckenridge tell
some amusing stories of what he sa,
while on his tour of inspection in Cub
and Porto Rico. One of them is in con
nection with the wholesale vaccination
that is now being done in Porto Rico b
U. S. surgeons. Instead of running ava
! from vaccination, as many of our ow
Il citizens have been known to do, Ger
: Breckenridge says the Porto Ricans ru
@ after the vaccinators, believing that be
|. ino yaccinated makes them merica