Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1898 — Washington Letter. [ARTICLE]

Washington Letter.

Froin our regular correspondent. Washington June 13. It is not surprising that Admiral Sampson should have shown impatience in his dispatches to Washington because of the delay in sending him the troops promised. He has had within the last week ample cause for impatience, aye, and for indignation, too. He destroyed the outer forts at Santiago and had everything ready for troops to laud, but there were no troops; he captured Guantanamo Bay and still holds it, for the same purpose, but the troops which ought to have been there to laud were on transports anchored at Tampa, held up by orders from Washington, on account of the cock and buli story about a fleet of Spanish warships being at Havana ready to steam out and capture the troops as soon as they started, until Sampson could detach a number of his most formidable ships and send them to convoy the transports to ' Santiago. Meanwhile Sampson's marines hold all the Cuban ground they have captured. Although there is nothing official to be obtained, there is reason to believe that the troops are how !on their way to Cuba, under convoy. The frequency with which ' hold up orders have been sent from Washington when important movements were about to be ' started, on no better foundation i than wild and improbable rumors • presumably of Spanish origin, ' makes it look as though somebody who has influence enough control the the issuing of orders has the misfortune to have a streak of yellow down his backbone. It cannot be stated to an absolute certainty who this individual is, but. unless the delays have been purposely made to prolong the war, there is little doubt that he exists. It is only where those in command are out of the reach of hold-up orders that notable successes have been obtained. Orders have nave been sent to Generals Coppinger and Lee, who are to command the Porto Rican army, to get their men ready to start, but there is no telling how many hol-up orders they will have to contend with before they are off. Oh yes, indeed, indeed! A good little boy is Tommy Keed I

After being compelled by the majority of the House to get out of the way of the consideration of the resolution for the annexation of Hawaii, Czar Reed has the audacity to say, through his thick and thin followers, that he never had stood in the way of the majority, or intended to stand in the way. This comes too Jate to help the poitical fortune of the Czar —ex-Czar now. He has been -deposed by President McKinley, and will never again wield the autocrat power be has had. The annexation resrtiqtion will be voted upon Wednesday afternoon of this week, and' will, of course, be adopted, zkbout 20 democrats have announced their intention to vote for the resolution. The fact that the war revenue law provides for the coinage of the silver bullion owned by the government at the rate of $1,555,000, a month dsstroys every argument advanced by.the gold standard men against the coinage of the seiguiorge. The amount to be coined each month is less than was proposed by the silver men, but authorizing the coinage of any amount was a recognition of the principle advocated by the silver men. It is already announced that the sugar trust and the standard oil trust will refuse to pay the tax of one quarter of one cent on on their gross receipts in excess of $250,000 imposed by the war revenue law, and will go into court to fight the constitutionality of the law. It is openly charged on every hand that much of the inconven•enre that the troops have been put to has been directly traceable to the „ incompetence of

many of the civilians appointed to Important staff positions by McKinley. Secretary Alger now says that tn ten days every man in the army will be provided with bis full equipment for war. Then there can be no further valid excuse for pottering along instead of at once fighting the war to. a close.

There have been ugly reports from time to time of the lack of harmony between the fighting branches of the government, and upon more than one occasion President McKinley is said to have had to exercise his authority to make them work together. Also that there have been* frequent clashes between Gen. Merritt, who is to command the army in the Philippines, and Secretary Alger; also between the latter and Gen. Miles, who is reported to have.charged Alger with b£ing responsible for the demoralization he found existing in army matters when he got to Florida. None of these things are pleasant to write, bit they explain why things are not moving faster., Conrad Kellner and Erb Bushey gave a dance Wednesday night, at Robert’# Hall. Sixty couple were pfbsent, of which twenty were from Remington and three from Goodland. Mrs Clara Cooper, wife of Marion Cooper, died at the home of her parents, Win. Petty and wife, Wednesday afternoon at 4 o’clock. Her age was about 24 years. Shs leaves a husband and two children to mourn her Prater cemetery at 9 o’clock a. ni. toda y. The appeal ditch case of Wilson Shaffer vs: Yeoman, et al, is on trial before a special judge, R. S. Dwiggins. This case was first brought before the coni in issioners and their decision appealed from to the circuit court. J. W. Douthit as special judge, sent it back to the commissioners from whose decision an appeal was [ again taken. miss Pearl Hueson of Milroy township, died of consumption at her home near Sharon. Wednesday, at 1:30 p. m. Her age was 19 years. She was a bright, intelligent, young lady, and until her health failed, two years ago. a pupil of our city high school. Funeral services will be held at the house at 10:00 a. m., to-day.

Rev. A. G. W. Farmer conducting the funeral ceremonies. Interment im Weston cemetery. The two hose companies of our fire department gave an exhibition Wednesday evening. They both started from Cullen street and ran to Front street, a distance of 750 feet. No. 1 succeeded in attaching their hose to the hydrant and turning a stream of water on the Nowels building in three minutes and thirty-five seconds. No. 2 attached to /Ire hydrant near the Goff house and turned a stream of water on the Nowels’ house in just four minutes, They succeeded in throwing water 25 feet above the building. The company will give another drill next Wednesday evening.