The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-07-26
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON. IulY ~.

and rushed back to Washington,
everybody supposed to do some
thing. There has been Cabinet
meetings and Cabinet dinners, but
that is all. Nothing has been done
that had not been decided upon be-
fore Mr.. Mckinley pulled himself
away from the enticing rockers on
that Canton porch. Although it is
the general opinion in Washington
that Congress should be called in
extra session to handle this Chinese
business, Mr.. Mckinley and his
advisers decided that no extra ses-
sion should be called until the
urgency became more pressing.
Because the allied forces in China
have won a temporary success, at
an awful cost of life, including
many Americans, and the Chinese
have sent message saying that the
foreign ministers in Pekin are alive,
which, by the way, isn't believed
by anybody outside of members of
the administration, Mr.. Mckinley
will wobble awhile longer.
The plain truth is that Mr.. Nc
Kinley is afraid to do anything un-
til he gets palmer tip on what
public sentiment wants this govern
ment to do. Men interested in
syndicates, which have big conces-
sions in China, are urging him to
send a big army 10 China so that
he can be in position to prevent
the breaking up of the Chinese en-
pre-, which would mean the end of
your concessions, while Republican
politicians are cautioning him to
feel his way carefully because a
mistake will make his defeat for re-
election more certain than it now
apparently is. He can't get more
men in the army without authority
from Congress, and he is afraid to
take any more men from Gen. Mac
Arthur, who has already been made
to send men from the Philippines
against his vigorous protest. Con-
sequently, unless there is an extra
session OF Congress, the total Amer
ican force in China will not exceed
1000, and several thousand of
them cannot be got there before the
first Of September, no matter how
badly they may be needed. Mean
while, MIR. Nc Kinley has gone back
to Canton to wobble at leisure un-
sill public opinion shows him what
to do.
There are reasons to believe that
a decidedly interesting talk took
place in the dining room of Secre-
tary Cages suburban residence,
where Mr.. Mckinley, all the men,
bers of the Cabinet who are in
Washington, and Gen. Leonard
Wood, Military Governor of Cuba,
were guests. The subject was Cuba
and its probable future relations
towards the United States. Gen.
Wood is in Washington for the pur-
pose of receiving instructions as to
the method of electing delegates to
the proposed Cuban constitutional
convention, which has been hinted
at inside administration circles, NAV
start the annexation ball to rolling
by adopting an annexation reso!u-
ton, or declaring in favor of it. If
such is the administration pro-
gramme, the arrangements for the
election of delegates to the conven-
tion will probably be such as to EN-
sure a majority of annexationists.
Gen. Wood will talk about every
thing else in Cuba, but as soon as
you say annexation he is as mum
as a clam.
The Chinese Minister in Wash
ington is about as slick as the slick
est of his race, and he seems able
TO make Secretary Hay accept any
old story that he chooses to tell
him. His latest, which Mr.. Hay
thought important enough to repeat
at Cabinet meeting, is that the
reason the foreign ministers in
Pekin have not communicated with
their governments is that they are
hid in the houses of Chinese friends
and are afraid that any attempt to
send messages would put the mob
onto their hiding places. The Chi
nese Minister'S success in stuffing
the members Of the administration
may encourage him to remain in
this country and go on in the gold
brick business if his government
gets knocked out at home.
The wires have been kept hot
getting word to such Republicans
as Representative Hull, of Iowa,
Chairman of the House Military
Committee, who has been publicly
advocating the calling of an extra
session OF Congress, to take the
other tack and fall in behind Mr..