Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-05-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
ESPECIAL ooRREsPoNpENoE OF THE MONT OR


taken by president of the United
States. The total distance to be trav-
eled by June 18th, when the presiden-
tial special is due at Washington, is
1851 miles. President Harrison made
nearly as long trip in 1891, when he
left Washington April 18th and re-
turned May 18th, after having travel
ed 1928 miles. President Mckinley,
like President Harrison, opposes
travelling on Sunday, except in cases
of absolute necessity, and the special
train will be side tracked every Sun
day during the trip, the schedule
giving the following in the order
named as the Sunday stopping places:
San Antonio, Tex; Del Monte and
San Francisco, CAL; Spokane, Wash. !;
Salt Lake City, Utah; and Chicago.
Four members of the cabinet, Secre-
taries Hay, Hitchcock and Wilson and
Postmaster General Smith, left Wash
ington with the president, and Secre-
tary Long, who has gone to visit his
| daughters in Colorado, will join him
before San Francisco is reached. One
car of the special train is fitted out as
the presidents Office and the presence
of Secretary Cortelyou and several of
the White House corps of stenogra-
piers, will make it as easy for the
president to transact executive busi-
ness on the train, as he could in
| Washington. But unless something
unexpected turns up, he doesn't ex-
| pect to give much time to business.
There is no need for him to do SO, as
there is little likelihood of anything
having to be disposed of before his
return that cannot be handled by the
three members of the cabinet-Secre-
taries Root and Gage and Attorney
General Knox, left in Washington.
In fact, the business of the govern
ment is just now largely routine, both
domestic and outside.
| The visit of the Cuban committee to
| Washington has not only been pleas =
ant to all concerned, but it has been
productive of much good. The doubts
which the Cubans said they and their
| fellow members of the Constitutional
convention had as to the construction
of that clause of the Platt amendment
in which the right was reserved by
this government, to intervene when
ever in it's judgment it might become
necessary to preserve order in Cuba
was all cleared away by the explana-
tions made by President Mckinley
and Secretary Root, and they now see
the establishing of naval coaling sta
tions in Cuba by the United States in
much more favorable light than they
did when the matter was discussed, in
the convention. Those two clauses
of the Platt amendment are the only
ones that were seriously opposed by
the convention. Members of the
committee have said privately that
they would recommend to the conven-
ton when they return, which will be
at once, that the Platt amendment be
accepted, and have expressed the
opinion that the recommendation will
be favorably acted upon. The Cubans
did a great deal of talking about the
general desire of the people Of the
island to obtain reductions in our tariff
on sugar and tobacco, even after they
were made to fully understand that
the tariff was a question that congress
only could deal with. President Nc
Kinley, however, told them that after
the Cuban government had been or
ganized, he would be pleased to ap-
point commissioners to negotiate with
it's representatives, commercial
reciprocity treaty.
Secretary Hay held quite recep-
ton before he left Washington. Many
of the most prominent members of
the diplomatic corps intend going to
Europe this summer and expect to be
gone before Secretary Hay returns.
Consequently they called, not only to
say goodbye and express their good
wishes, but to incidentally put in a
word or two on diplomatic matters.
Secretary Hay stated that he had
secured the views of sufficient num-
Der of senators to justify the belief
that a new Isthmiap Canal treaty can
be negotiated with Great Britain that
will be ratified by the senate. 1t is
expected that the new treaty will be
ready by the time congress assemblies.