The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-01-04
Interesting Washington Letter.

mlsslonere, VINO brought the Omcla
copy of the treaty of peace to Washing
| ton, cordial personal welcome and
heartfelt congratulations on their sue
cessful work, and assured them that
the Christmas gift they brought to the
American people was thoroughly appre-
cisted. AS further mark of his APP
probation, he will give, in honor of the
commissioners, a state dinner at the
| White House. In addition to the
treaty, the commi, sioners brought to
| the President full and detailed report
of their work. They were pleased to
learn that the opposition to the ratifica-
| ton of the treaty by the Senate had
practically all died out. Senators who
have been quoted Gs intending to OPP
pose the treaty have assured President
Mckinley that, while opposed to our
retention of the Philippines permanent
ly, they would vote to ratify the treaty
as soon as it was reported to the Senate
from the committee on foreign relations
to which it will be sent as soon as 1t
goes to the Senate, which will be inn.
mediately upon the re-assembling of
| Congress.
The Spanish peace commissioners
will realize what mistake they made
when they refused to sell u small is
land in the Carolines for cable station,
as soon as they learn that we have
taken possession of Wake island, which
will answer every purpose and will cost
nothing. This island lie about 1000 miles
from the Hawaiian islands and about
1900 miles from Guam, being almost
ON a direct line between those posses
sions. AS far back as 1851 Admiral
Wilkes surveyed this island and assert.
ed title, but the island being merely a
coral reef three miles long, has never
been occupied. But it is all right for
cable station and President Mckinley
has sent orders to Commander Taussig,
of the gunboat Bennington, to proceed
to the island and take formal posses
sion. 1t is coincidence that on July
of this year transport bound for
Manila stopped at Wake island to allow
our soldiers to get days recreation on
land.
President Mckinley stopped lot of
crooked business when he ordered that
new franchises given by the local au-
thorities in Cuba, Porto Rico, and the
Philippines, should be revoked by our
military authorizes, whenever they
were unfair in their terms or likely to
be against the best interest of the
islanders. A lot of INSCRIPTIONS spec.
ulators have been engaged in the pur-
chase of railroad, electric and other
franchises from impecunious members
of local governments in the towns on
all of the islands, with the expectation
that the United States would recognize
them. 1t is the Presidents intention
to prevent any robbery of the islanders
that can be prevented by watchfulness
on the part of the authorities.
Admiral Sampson, who has just re-
turned from Havana, where he has
been on duty as q member of the evacu-
alton commission, says that while
many Cubans are anxious to set up an
independent government, the better
classes on the island, including most of
the men of wealth and prestige in bust
ness affairs, are practically unanimous
" in favor of the United States taking
the island for keeps, instead of only
temporarily. The admiral's own opin-
ion is that the Cubans are in no condi-
ton, at this time, to successfully estab-
lsh and maintain government OF their
own, and, while he doesn't say as much,
the impression one gathers from talk
ing with him, is that he doubts whether
they ever will be.
Chairman Hull has filed with the
clerk of the House, the report of the
committee on military affairs in favor
of his bill for the reorganization and in
crease of the regular army, which was
not ready when the bill was reported to
the House, just before it's Christmas adj
journment. The report is very full,
giving unanswerable reasons why the
bill should be passed. The following
extract from the report fully explains
the nature of the bill: "The bill fixes
no maximum strength for the whole
army, assuming that the. government
will require about 100, 900 men for the
defence of the frontier, for coast de-
fences and to maintain our authority in
the island for whose good order and
government this nation is now respon-
sible, together with a reasonable re-
serve force. The bill provides for the
requirements of cavalry and infantry,
the number required for each arm of
the service, and corps of artillery for
our sea shore batteries, with two regi-
ments of artillery for field batteries. !"
| L ut COIutullttc Ucilcfco tuC OIRabiAa-
ton as provided for in this bill will
make the most efficient military organ
ization, at the lowest cost to the tax
payers, of any organization proposed
by any bill before Congress. The es-
timated cost, if this bill becomes law,
as there is every reason to believe it
will, in spite of Democratic opposition,
is 500, COO, 900 year. The Democrats
acknowledge the present necessity for
all the troops the Hull bill provides for,
but in their bill they try to whip the
devil around the stump by limiting the
regular army to 10000 and providing
for the enlistment for two years of 50,-
600 volunteers.