Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-09-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
tProm our Regular correspondent

WASHING I'm Ii I6h.
tProm our Regular CORES pondent.I
washington. ID. G Sept. 22.-The
further events progress in Cuba the
less administration officials like them.
Both The insurgents and the Palma
government have been holding AL ire
concilable pose, each declaring that
the other was everything it should not
be. and making the task of Secretary
TAFT as peacemaker Increasingly diff
ficult 1t was even said at the State
Depa rtment late In the week that arm
ed intervention On the part of the Uni.
ted States might after all be necessary.
different emotions, according rs it
touched the diplomatic or the militant
department of gOvernU mt. armed
inter ventiOn in Cuba just now might
result in a guerrilla war of year or
more, and would almost certainly force
this government to take permanent
possession whether il wanted to or not.
| This of course is just the thing that
the Observation-Disclosures would enjoy,
but 1t would be adding to the "White
Mans Burden" at rate not to be re 3.
lished by a government which has just
finished off a 500 900, 900 insurrection
in the Philippines. 1t is barely posi-
BILE that this government may intervene
without actually hostilities. Neither
the insurgents nor the Palma govern
ment want to See civil war rampant in
the island, and for this reason they
may sgre3 to let the United States ad-
minister affairs for awhile without at
tempting themselves interfere.
At the same time the outlook is not
at all promising. The Department of
State does not pretend to be thorough
| ly advised as to the situation in Hav-
anna because President Roosevelt has
largely taken matters IN to bis own
hands, and is in direct Geographic
communication with Secretary Taft.
But unofficial advices received from
Havana agree that it is almost i'm
possible to reconcile the difference be-
tween the existing government and
the aspiring faction. 1t was said at
the State Department that the Amerl-
can officials are almost ready to give
up and that a rupture might occur any
day. The officials did not admit hav
ing any confirmatory advices, but they
were not cheerful over the outlook.
One of the most curious features OF
the situation is that Guerilla war OF
any magnitude will almost ce: ealnly
necessitate the establishment of recon-
centradO camps, such as were the deep
est blot on the last months OF the
Spanish occupation. OF course these
camps need not be such charnel houses
as they proved to be under General
Weyler. Similar camps were run for
the benefit of the Bears in South Africa
during the British campaign there.
but they are an expensive luxury and
would add very heavily to the cost of
an American campaign in Cuba.
AS to the force as the disposal of the
United States, it Is ample to meet al
most any emergency. The new battle
ships Louisiana, the Cleveland and the
Virginia ere already in Havana har
Dor. The Marietta, the Columbia, and
other vessels of the cruiser and gun
boat type are scattered around the is
land, and fully 5000 marines and blue
Jackets could be landed at an hours
notice without crippling the working
force of this great American fleet. To
send soldier to Cuba would necessitate
hiring or buying transports and would
be an expensive undertaking while the
insurgents are of such character that
they could retreat to the hill and keep
up Guerilla campaign for long time
before they were finally crushed. Mean
while Cuba would industrlally stag
nate and her era of material prosperity,
which have been one of remarkable
growth in the past few years. would
be brought to an abrupt close.
From high diplomacy to the corner
grocery is sudden and sad drop.
But very important period has been
reached in the preparation of the Agri
cultural Department to enforce the
new meat inspection law, and in all
probability this is of more immediate
interest to the householder than war
aud rumor5 of war In Cuba. The De
partment has just issued a small
pamphlet that ought to be memOrlzed
by every hOusekeeper showing how the
real may be distinguished from the
spurious in buying all sorts of meat
products. Fresh meat hes always boon
inspected by the Department of Agri
culture before it was allowed In inter-
state trade, but now this inspection
will extend to all sorts of smoked and
prepared meats and to canned meats
stuffs. Worse even than this for the
dealers is the fact that limitations will
have to De unmistakly labeled and in
this lays the value of the pamphlet.
A Virginia Ham" which was never
raised in Virginia, can only be called
Virginia Style Ham" when it is put
on sale. Vienna Sausage, Franklin
tiers and English Sausage must all have u
the discriminating word "Style'' insert
ed in the label if they are not the real
imported variety. The same thing is
true of lard and when the consumer
buys Pure Leaf Lard" or any other |
we'll known variety of lard, he may be
assured that he is getting what be asks
for unless the contrary is distinctly ex-
plaiued on the label. The same is true
of canned and ported meats of all sorts.
and to the regret of the dealers, hog
shouts and mutton will no longer be