The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-09-21
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
September ID. 1906.

Washington official circles just
now is: ''What will happen to-
CUBAN All that can he said is
that this country is playing safe
ty and that there will be no arm
ed intervention by America if it
can possibly be avoided The
President has written to Presi-
dent Palma a forceful letter, that
is, really an open letter to the
Cuban people warning item to
quit their domestic pickering and
be good, lest a worse thing hap
pen. He has also sent Secretary
Taft and Acting Secretary Bacon
10 Cuba to acquaint him with the
real facts in the case. 1t is be-
lieved that these energetic meas
ures will meet the emergency
without further action. There is
large section of the population
who have always believed that
Cuba and the Philippines was
bad bargain, and it would scarcely
do, with the Congressional cam
paigns now pending, tor this
country to embark on any enter
prise that would give an excuse
t. revive the anti-imperialistic,
stay-at-home, non foreign inter
ference cry.
At the same time there is no
official here that will admit that
the government considers the
state of affairs very serious. The
marines who were landed in Ha-
vana from the Denver, were has
tily recalled, and it is probable
that the Deuver'S commander will
have to do great deal of ex-
planning. The report that Presi-
dent Palma is on the eve of re-
signing would indicate that the
Cubans at least consider the sit
nation serious, but you could not
eXtort such confession from any
official in Washington. Secre,
tary Bonaparte probably voiced
the administrations sentiment,
when he said that American cap
ital in Cuba would be glad to see
American Intervention, but inter
yentlOn is out of the question in
the present state of home pol
itics.
The talk that has been raised
in some quarters about the posi-
bility of a bomb being put under
the Denver and sending her the
way of the Maine is regarded in
Washington as sheer nonsense.
There are about a million chances
to one against such "a contiu.
gency, and if 1t happened, it
could only be the work of exceed
ingly heartlesS and short sighted
annextionists, who are willing to
take such desperate measures to
bring abOut American interven-
ton and ultimate annexation.
One of the most serious practi-
cable phases of the situation is
the danger that the sugar crop
may be ruined by the uprising
and the price of sugar materially
increased in the United States.
Many of the plantations are
working on credit and with the
disturbed state of the island, it
is almost impossible for them to
get the labOrers. The banks re-
fuse them credit and both the
government and the insurgents
have been drafting farm animals,
both beef cattle and horses, so
that in reality the life of the
planter is not happy one, aud
if the revolution is not speedily
settled, this years Cuban sugar
crop is apt to be almost com.
plete failure.
For the first time since the pas
sage of the meat inspection law
the Department of Agriculture
has absolutely lain down to the
packers and let them have their
own way in very important mat
ter of labels. 1t will be recol
lected that the meat inspection
law provided that all meat pro.
ducts should be labeled for pre-.
cisely what they are. In accord
ance with this demand nearly all
of the labels on canned and other
wise prepared meats had to be
! revised. The "picnic ham"
which had no ham in it; the
"potted chicken" which was in
reality made out of sheep; the
"California ham," which was
nothing but shoulder, all dis
appeared from the trade list. But
when it came to the question of
canned roast beef. the packers
put up such howl that they car
ried their point, and "canned
roast beef" will hereafter be a
staple article of trade, although
there is no such thing on the
market.
The "canned roast beef" which
the packers have been putting
out, is simply parboiled and
steamed until it bears more re-
sem blance to wet wrapping paper