El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-05

Special Correspondence of The Herald.
WASHINGTON. ID. c.. Dec. %. 1900.
Congress having adjourned for the
holidays the capitol is theoretically de-
serted. AS matter of fact though, it
isn't. The congressman from the bunch
of states nearby have gone home
mostly but the great bulk of the ives
tern and southern men are still here
pounding away in the committee
rooms on government business, or tell
ing stories as the mood happens to
strike them. The air in any and all
of them is blue with smoke, Industrious
clerks are scribbling away and con-
gressmen lolling around in all sorts
of attitudes listening to the represen-
tatives of all kinds and conditions of
Hmen whose business is effected by
congressional action.
The Difficulty in Cuba.
In a quiet way Cuba is coming in
for-ioJS of discussion The trothy eie-
ment of the island is not much repre-
scented here but we hear plenty from
\ the more substantial citizens, most of
whom are not looking forward to the
promised independence as a golden
millennium. In normal times this
country takes anywhere from 50 to 80
per cent. of the exports of the Cubans
and 1atfooted annexation, extending
our customs lines around them, means
a saving of $50 .000, 900 or more a year.
Possibly in good years that much
would be collected on sugar alone.
Ans: as we are now Independent of
Cuba if we choose to draw our sugar
from the Philippines, the planters are
interested. Fitzhugh Lees indiscreet
remark in Kansas City that the stars
and stripes would continue to wave in
Cuba meant more than his subsequent
explanations. I'm gallicaudo veritas"
as Cicero used to remark-which in
Shakespearean English means from |
the cocktail cometh truth
Another thing that is giving the |
Cubans pause is the amount of war |
claims against them held by foreign |
nations. With annexation Uncle Sam |
pays the bills and will take his own |
good time about it at that-with indie |
pendence, and the Corinto precedent |
before us, we can not well object if |
France Or Germany lands troops and
seizes customs houses to collect fab
ulous indemnities. II will be remem-
bered that England landed marines at |
Corinto and collected customs until
Nicaragua paid up All of which
means a stormy time ahead for Cuba
under native rule While Weyler and
Garcia were sashaying back and forth
in their imitation state of war there
was good deal of property destroyed,
most of which will of course assume a
foreign ownership as soon as our
heavy hand is removed. Germany and
France nave been ma.ling diplomatic
inquiries already as to the time we are
ready to let go and give them show.
Ayers Book.
The war department is boiling with
in over Ayers book. 1t isn't out yet
but the Information regarding it is
leaking through, not to mention the
chapter published in one of the mag
azines. General Miles is focusing
himself on a rejoinder and the EN-
balmed beef business is promising to
crop out all over again. Which is a
pity. 1t was one of the rows in which
both sides had some measure of right,
and there was something to be said
either way. Miles is good soldier
but he is not a business man nor yet a |
food sharp. and he let his animosity
a gainst the staff carry him farther
than was juStifiable. On the other |
hand the staff is so hidebound and fond
of red tape that it fell over itself and
let SPECTATORS get away with it. The
whole trouble was that there was no
man of John Wanamaker's type at the
head of affairs to manage the CONNER |
cial end of the war. However neither {
Miles nor his opponents will ever be- :
iieve that. G
State Department Dickers.
The state department is having some G
interesting little dickers on the side in /;
addition to its Nicaragua canal and :
Chinese negotiations. 1t is reported
that we have offered Denmark four
and a half million dollars for ner fever
haunted little islands in the West In r
lies. That is more than they are n
worth to Denmark and more than they a
ire intrinsically worth to us. but at