The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1899-04-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our regular correspondent

close observation of existing cOndl
tons on the islands, and not a little
of it is widely different from tina
which has been obtained from othel
sources. Gen. Breckenridge Is
strongly of the opinion that Gomez
is not to be trusted. He thinks that
Gomez is the most dangerous enemy
the u. S. has in Cuba; that his tur-
bulent nature fits him for partlcipa-
ton in revolutions, but not to assist
in the establishment of a peaceful
government, and has warned the
President of the danger of allowing
him to get control in Cuba. He also
told the President that things were
not being conducted under our mill
tarv government in Cuba, in a man.
ner to accustom the Cubans to a free
government; that it was a serious
mistake to allow distasteful Spanish
laws to remain in force over there, in
addition to our military laws. He
doubts whether Cuba can have a free
government Of its own, because he
believes that as soon as Il military
government is withdrawn, Gomez and
his followers will establish a military
government that will be as much of
a despotism as Spain ever maintained
over the island. OF Porto Rico he
says that the people are disposed to
be contented, but that the serious
drawbacks to industry, owing to the
closing of the markets of Spain for
Rorto Rican products and the failure
TO open our own to them, have al
ready resulted in distress and an
alarming increase Of %brigandage, and
that things will soon grow worse if
means are not found to provide EN-
ployment for the islanders. The
President is powerleSs to act in this
matter. 1t will require action OF
Congress to open u markets to
Porto Rican products. The President
is deeply impressed by Gen. Breck-
enridge's information, and has had
several extended conferences with
him to talk the matter over.
Several occurrences during the last
three or fOurdays have been calculated
to convince the public that our
authorities both in Manila and in
Washington, do not consider that
the Philippine question was taken
out of the critical field by the sue
cessful campaign of Gen. Otis
against Aguinaldo. Among them
was a cablegram from Admiral
Dewey, asking that six months en-
gineering supplies for his fleet be sent
to Manila at once, and Secretary
Longs reply, in the name of the
President, to a request from a Wash
ington committee, that Dewey be
ordered home in time to participate
in the Peace Jubilee, to be held May
1926 at the National Capital. Sec
rotary Long frankly told the Com
mittee hat the President considered
affairs in the Philippines to be in too
critical a stage to order Dewey home.
The President and Secretary Long
have chosen the following names for
the warships authorized by the last
Congress: Battleships, PennSyl
v%ania, New Jersey and Georgia;
armored cruisers, West Virginia,
Nebraska and California; cruisers,
Denver, Des Moines, Chattanooga,
Galveston, Tacoma and Cleveland
Gen. Joseph Wheeler has not been
better pleased in a long time than he
was when he left the White House
with a Committee of ladies he had
escorted there, for the purpose Of
extending an invitation to President
Mckinley to attend the encampment
of ex-Confeierates to be held at
Falls Church, Va, practically a
suburb of Washington, June 7 and s
next. The president promised to
attend the encampment and to deliv-
er an address, unless something
should occur to prevent his doing so.
He also took occasion to thank the
women of the Southern societies for
doing so much towards emphasizing
the good feeling existing between the
North and the South. Gen. Wheeler
has been smiling ever since and, if it
were possible, he admires the Presi-
dent more than ever.
The Military Court of Inquiry,
after celebrating over it for two or
three days, decided to aceede to the
request of Gen. Miles, that the
official reports of LAT officers, from
Brigadier Generals to Lieutenants, |
on the beef issued to soldiers in Cuba
and Porto Rico be admitted as testi-
mony. but adhered to his first de-
not to SUMMON those among
the III witnesses Gen. Miles sub
mitted whose testimony would merely
co~rroborste that already given by