El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-04
WASHINGTON

Something About Secretary Hays
Diplomacy General Cnaffee, the
Man Who Obeys Orders-The
Chinese Mob-Cuba Pacific
Buying An IsIdnd-Boers, Shlrt
Waists, And Chinese Ministers,
With Word About the Wash
ington Society Boxers
Special Correspondence of the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, July 2S.-Like ell
the rest of the civilized world WASH
ing ton is situated on the anxious seat
at the end of the cable line waiting
news-verifable news that is-from
Pekin. Whether the WuConRer me g.
sage be authentic or not-And the state
department is in a condition Of sus-
pended judgment In the master-no
effort is being spared to learn the truth
and to do whatever may be done.
Meanwhile Secretary Hay is giving the
alleged "powers" another exhibition
Of "shirt sleeve diplomacy" which is
the European phrase for the American
idea that the way to do business is to
do business.
HAYS SHIRT SLEEVES DIPLOMACY
Seeing no reason for muzzling WI
or standing on the letter of interna-
tiopal etiquette as Europe is doing,
Hay is listening patiently to the hash
of rumors coming hither from Stang
hal and has given full, frank and free
permission to the people whom WI
represents. whoever they may be, to do
all in their power to repair matters,
without comm tting our government
In any way aud without ceasing to do
his utmost. If the Ii Hung Chang
crowd, In the pursuit of their sinuous
policy, really can and do send the
leg ations to the coast, we'll and good:
We have made neither promise nor
suggestion of imm unity for what has
already been done. Certainly We do
not intend to suspend our effort to
reach Pekin in any event.
THE SOLDIER CHAFFEE.
Hay has been prodding the foreign |
powers In an effort to have some sort
of agreement reached by the allied
forces at Tientsin, but with no special |
success so far. We should be glad to |
have Chaffee con- mand the united |
army of course, but will accept any
body ON whom the others can agree. |
There seems no likelihood of q selec- |
ton however, and military men here |
believe 1t will be necessary to send |
Chaffse ahead independently since the |
American nation can not and will not |
wait while the powers dswdle and play |
politics, as they did in Crete. That
has always been the policy OF the Anne
rican army anyhow and the British
army as we'll, 60 ahead and jump any
thing in the neighborhood regardless
of com Against an
foe this system works we'll
nine times out of ten and the tenth
time there is ''Custer massacre"
In the present case the Chinese
forces between Tien Tsin and Pekin
are believed to be more or less in the
nature of a mob and II this be true,
they should be disintegratisg by this
time for lack of q regular system of
supplies and for lack of leadership. So
the chances are that if Chaffee should
90 ahead be would break through with
put much trouble and great would be
his glory-but there lie also q chance
hat there wouldn't be enough left of
his force to tell the tale. From knowl-
edge of Chafee's character however it
10 believed that he will not move with
out specific Instructions, but getting
;hose instructions he will execute
hem like . whirlwind" as An army Of
icer who is friend of his told me.
QUIET CUBA
Said army officer 10 just up here from
Cuba taking advantage of the vacation
eason to come here after q Chinese IS
ignment and he reports that Cuba 10
he quietest place he ever saw except
! aeaf-mute asylum at one O'Clock in
he morning. We have not more than
ZOO men down there now and they
AVE to put in their time at practice
lrills and marches. Weyler had 20O,-
100 men there at one time-at least
lie had that many namss on his pay
olls-and was making fat thing of
he insurrection until we were incon-
iderate enough to rob him of his bust
ess. The bulk of the people it seems
re very quiet and peace abiding; never
ven scrapping with Our privates on
ayday, which shows an angelic dis
osition, and the bellicoss residue who
Iere mainly officers in the UCuhan,