The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1899-08-18

From our regular Correspondent
Washington ID. c., Aug. I3 1899.


Washington d. G., Aug. 13 1899.
When the circumstances under
which Secretary Root passed his first
week at the head OF the War Depart
ment are considered, one wonders that
SO few plans have been manufactured
ffor him by the correspondents of the
yellow journals, which insist upon
printing Washington news whether
there is any or nut. Owing to the alb
sence of the President and nearly all
1.-The members of the Cabinet, there has
been Il dcartil of Official news, and
Secretary Root has been too busy post
ling himself to talk. about his plans.
That the yellows. should proceed to
make few plans for him was as
natural as that water will run down
hill, and the only surprising thing was
that they did not make them more
sensational. At the proper time, Sec
retary Roots official acts will show
the country his intentions.
Representative Burke, OF S. Dak.,
who is in Washington on business,
says his state can be put in the sure
Republican column, and speaking of
the general outlook, he said: "Out-
side of Colorado, do not believe there
is single northwestern state that Mr..
Bryan can carry. | consider that
President McKinley's denomination
and reelection are foregone conclu-
sions The administration is POPULAR
IN the northwest. Our people have
fallen upon prosperous times, and they
a,e not inclined TO turn the govern
ment over to the opposition, which al
ways promises SO much and performs
so little"
,A,conference will be held in Wash
ington this week which will probably
result in an immediate start being
made in the taking Of the census OF
Cuba. Those who will participate in
the conference will be Secretary Root,
Assistant Secretary Meiklejohn, In
spector General Sanger, who will have
immediate supervision of the work,
several representatives of the Census
Bureau, and the Cuban Supervisors,
recently appointed by Gen. Brooke.
AS has been stated, this census is to be
4 taken to get at the voting population
of Cuba, and soon after its completion,
municipal elections will be held over
there. Although our Census Bureau
officials are acting in an advisory ca
pacity in this matter, the Cuban CEN
sus will have no connection with our
census, and will be taken under mill
tary supervision.
The following opinion, by J. I. Gill
lispie, an observant citizen of Mass,
who has just returned from trip to
Russia, and who is now in Washing
! ton, is both interesting and pertinent:
l"With all her professed friendship for
the U. s., Russia does not tolerate
American missionaries within her
borders. Russia is pre-eminently self
| ish in all her aims, and her ambitions
are far more stupendous than people
in this country have any idea Of. She
dreams Of the time when she will
dominate not only the whole of China,
but India, Persia, and Turkey as well.
The building of the great Siberian
railway is nothing but scheme of
conquest. Russia courts the friend-
ship of the IT, S. because she fears that
when the inevitable conflict between
the Slav and the Briton comes on,
the u. S. may side with the mother
country. Down in their hearts the
Russians care no more for us than
/ they do for the English, and whenever
! they think the hour is ripe, they will
push us aside in the Orient, just as
ruthlessly as they will John Bull.
They bid their time, being a patient
and cunning race, but in the mean
! time it suits them to appear to be our
| friends"