Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1898 — [?]TON Letter. [ARTICLE]

[?]TON Letter.

(fhMWflMt Segular Correnpendefat!. fMfefftou, D. C, May l|teliadßd us good in that gMttlfiflflfit and seek it played Verde fleet, and it isfißMiliy IMured that the fleet ntfftittit ii its power to choose wfcatfMr it will sight 1 Admiral Sampson’s fleet, which battered the lilts in the harbor of San Jnafl, IMI Kioo, a few days ago, or Commodore Schley’s flying«on, which is now for the aftny ep to its name, ttHm i CWbta harbor without liglfliflg* or wake a dash for some ofmw ceimtdtfe*. This state of aflairs would be exasperating wii| it iit far the satisfaction eflltjMt feels l« knowing that t§)jb flffMiill fleet is actually in Awarican waters. It may dodge «£far awhile* hat it is bound to ha onr fame ia the end. The end bfllt be at nice it the Spanish fleet 4gs|» to fight either of our fleets. Okie man’s guess is about as good |0 another’s about the intention ol days will show them. The postponement of the sending Of troope to Cuba made necessary by the presence of the Spanish fleet itt American waters is tassOWNfihbting than it appears fi®R***® a tf ood thin o “&$&• JpaathfeWiginal plan of JawpagWOOpS ih Cuba last week b||fl’Jwrried out, we should not sa%6een nWe to land a Sufficient number do capture Havana, which is defended by something like 80,000 Spanish soldiers, owing to the inability of the government to furnish equipments needed by the volunteers; and any delay in whipping the Spaniards out of Cnba after tnt army goes over there ahUi be calculated to lessen our preOthge among the nations of the world. * Dewey’s men at Manilla and the suctession of brave and daring deeds perf >rmed by the me* a* the ship engaged in blockading Caban ports have placed our navy among :he foremost fighters of the wqrld, and it would be very, humiliating for our army not to make an equally creditable showing when it goes to Cuba. It is therefore absolutely necessary that a sufficient number of Wen properly equipped to accomplish whnt they go to do should be sent to Cuba. The delay will serve to place the army on a proper footing. Just to give an idea of the deficiency in army equipments, it may be mentioned that the government has purchased the entire visable supply of tenting canvass in the country and yet has oaly enough to make about half the tents the army will require; the mills are working on the rest. The war revenue bill reported to the Senate from its Finance Committee is in many respects a marked improvement upon what it was when it Was sent over from the House. It now provides for j the immediate issue of $150,000,-j 000 in greenbacks, and for issuing j $42,000,000 in silver certificates j £o represent the seignorage on the silver bullion owned by the; government,- which it directs to j be opined. If taxes all sorts of; corporation*,* and strikes out the 1 authority for issuing bonds. 'A- caucus of the democrats of the-House may be held this week for the purpose of discussing the jbint-resolution proyirfjpg for the annexation of Hftgjfityr Which has been favorably reported jto the H<fose, and deriding upon the adAbility of f mipteg it a party question. There are a number of democrats in the House who are qgqlieed to annexation. It is the same in the Senate, but the democ*#ats of" the latter body long ago decided not to make annexation ! a party question, and the chances are that the samexourse will be followed iti -the House. To attempt to db'otherwise would be to compel those ’democrats who favor annexation to bolt the action j of the party caucus. It is, of j course, in the power of a majority of the .democrats **, tbp House to ma£v oppositpu -to annexation a'

party question, but it is not in their power to control democrats who have committed thempelves to annexation. There was no sign that the democratic party as a whole endorsed President Cleveland’s anti-annexation policy; on the contrary, there were many signs of oppostion thereto. If there ever was a time that opposition to the annexation of Hawaii could wisely have been made a party policy, it has long ago passed. The fear that Mr. McKinley would give staff commissions in the volunteer army to incompetant men, because of his inability to stand the pressure of the political and social influence brought to bear upon him in their behalf, was fully realized. It would have been "an impossibility to have found men more incompetent than many of the .civilians named for positions on, the staff. This incompetency was fully recognized by Mr. McKinley, as he selected enough officers from the regular army to do all the work that is likely to be required of the staff, which will leave the incompetents to do the ornamental. A fight is being made by the tobacco men against the proposed increase in the internal revenue tax on tobacco from 6 to 16 cents a pound. They say that the increase to 12 cents, provided for in the House bill, would have put upon tobacco more than its full share of war taxes, and that it would be unjust to push it up to 16, as provided for in the bill reported to the Senate.