Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-04-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.


WARRINGTON, Marcn 3lsC, 'V0.
I;DIToR CRAWFORD AVALANCHE.
President Mckinley has not lacked
for work since his return to Wash
ington, but the statements sent out
saying that he was engaged Ia for
mulating orders to send TO Gen. Otis
and that he had about determined TO
issue q call for the $4,000 volunteers
authorized by the army bill Of the
asst Congress, were guesses wide OF
the mark. He has sent no orders to
Gen. Otis, and has had no reason to
do so. Gen. Otis Is lighting his cam
paign successfully, as his successive
victories show, and there is no in
tention to hamper him with orders
from Washington. AS to calling for
the volunteers, that has not been
seriously thought of. Representative
Hull, chairman of the Military Com.
mittee of the last House, who enjoys
the Presidents confidence, and who
is good authority, said: "What would
be the use of calling for more vO'nn-
teers? We could not send them to
the Philippines in time for service
there, as all the advices indicate that
the u. S. forces are strong enough to
crush the insurrectlon."
Two representatives OF the Cuban
Assembly are In Washington seeking
Official recognition and the consent of
this government to an issue Of Cuban
bonds, but they will get neither.
The Military Court of Inquiry has
been taking testimony in Washing
ton, all this week. Among the wit
nesses was Gen. Eagan, who stated
that he made a mistake when he first
testified that the contracts required
beef to keep ~ hours after leaving
the refrigerators, and that "a hours
was the time he had agreed to.
Mr.. w. r. Gay. u. S. District At
torney, who Is at present In Wash
ington on business, gives this pleas
Ing picture of the State Of Washing
ton: with the acquisition of Ha-
vail, the growth of our Oriental
trade, the probable retention of the
Philippines, the heavy Alaskan bus
mess incide ut to the Klondyke boom,
and the big wheat crops that have
lately blessed US, the State OF Wash
ington is not only enjoying great
prosperity, but is sanguine OF a
bright future. The Mckinley ad-
ministration Is very popular in our
state, and the foreign policy of the
President is cordially endorsed.
Washington, l think, has got back
into the Republican column to stay.
Free Silver with us Is the deadest
sort Of an issue, and IL would be i'm
possible to interest the people In 1t
again"
While Americans lead the world
In inventive genius they do not mon
opolize the inventive faculty. U. S.
Consul Higgins, at Dundee, Scotland,
has written the Department OF State,
that on a farm near that town ma
chine for milking cows has been sue
cessfully used for two years.
The following is taken from an Of
fficial report Of the U. s. Consul Gen.
eral to Ecuador: "The change by the
world to gold basis has dnally driv.
en- Ecuador to adopt the same course,
and Congress has just enacted law
of coinage which within two years
will place the monetary system on a
gold basis. Ecuador Is the fourth
lcountry of Latin America to adopt
this measure, Venezuela, Costa RIGA,
and Peru having already taken the
step. Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile,
while nominally on a gold basis, are
really subject to the disadvantages
Iof paper money, because their inter
national financial condition precludes
an easy conversion of the currency.
i The public debt of the United
States is an interesting study, pre-
senting some valuable object lessons
in politics and government admins
ltration. The total public debt, less
cash on hand, was on March 1st, the
latest date for which official figures
are obtsinable, s1,157, 9O4, 1922. OF
this 1894, 1922, 900, is chargeable to the
civil war, 1892, 315, 400 to the four
years of Cleveland's last administa.
ton, and 1913, 1856, 900 TO the war with
Spain. II each individual paid q
pro rata share of the money needed
to pay the interest on the entire deb,
the charge would be about SO cent,
. year. or this 80 cents would 60 t,
, pay the cost OF the civil war, 10 cent
to pay the cost of the last Clevelan,
administration, and eight cents {,