Washington Letter

Washington, D. C, April lo, ls:ir. It looks uow as though the administration had wou a very creditable diplomatic victory froin Great Britain in the little affair of Nicaragua, aud that Great Britain had greatly modiñed that bluff about bombardiug Nicaragua's seaports. Nothiixg official has been given out abont the diplomatie correspondauce 011 this matter within the last few days, but there are good reasons Lor statíng that Ambassador Bayard has beeu most positively adsored by the British government that uothiug will be doue in its dealings with Nicaragua that ('au porperly be oonstrned iuto a violation of the Mouroe doctriue. This assurancc was naturally very gratifyiug to President Cleveland and the other members of the admlnietration. It was saying in aronnd-abont way that Great Britain never really meaut to cany out that bombardiug threat, and it was also in a way rèoognition of the Monroe doctrine. That this assuranee from Great Britain was the result of the oonrageons position taken by theadmin■ istration as to the maintenance of the Monroe doctrine is certain. And ing was lost on the part of Great Britaiu, by the knöwledge that the United States liad a Bufflcient naval foroe in the Sonth Atlantic toback up the position assumed. The arrival of the new Spanish minister is anxiously awaited in Washington, as it is believed that he will have several important commnnications ro make to tliis government. The Alliauca incident is stül open, and the belief isgrowing that Spain is trying to play a doublé game in connection therewith, nothwithstanding its promise to niake it satisfaotory as soon as it was in possession of the necessary information. As the new Spauish minister is to spend a week or ten days in Cuba before coming to Washington he will be expected to acquire all the needed information aud if his government theu still delays mftking a satisfatory settlement, he miy flnd himself very disagreeably surprised soon after his arrival. And his surprise is not likely to be displeasing to the Cuban revolutionists. Postmaster General Wilsou dropped into his new dnties as natuially as though he had been dealing with postal affairs all his life, and he is the same urbane gentleman in dealing with hi numerous oallers that he always was during his extended cougressional career. He has long ago proved hiniself well jwotected against that insidious disease known to ordinary folk as the "'big head" ; therefore no one is surprised to find him jast as aooeesible now as wheu he waa a nieniber of congress. The projectors of the new silver party eonfess to have encouragiug reports frnm ;i mmibcr of sTutcs. but their proteasioaa are iargèly (U.soountcd bj" their (alras as ta the sfcates of Pennsvlv.ania and Connecticut. The only claim these. make that is backed by common md hard fact?, is that a ïarge majovity of the voters of the eovnitiy are illjscs. That claim is p eosesary se if is known by everybody, but that d bímetai: bh ir p.mv afflliations and unite Èn an as istant i licaii [larty. which is aboot ül the uew silver party is. The decisión of the supreme oourt iu the income tax cases is disappointing to t'vcvybody, aud probably to nobody more thau to meiubers of the court. The coustitutionality of the law stands, not by an affinnative decisión, but because the eight justices sitting were evenly divided. Incomes from rents, municipal aud state bonds are exempted from the tax. But what most disappointed the members of the court waa the stealiug of a copy of the decisión in advance of its being officially made. It was sold to the correspondent of a Chicago paper and telegraphed to that city. The decisión will make lots of worry and litigation for the government, but Secretary Carlisle is very positive that it will not make necessary ' the calling of an extra session of congress, although the exceptions will probably reduce the receipts from the moorne tax at least one-half. But even if uot a nickel was received from that source by the treasnry, Secretary Carlisle says there will be money ennogh and to spare to carry the government nntil the regular session of congress without any embaiTassment. A Chicago deinocrat of the sort that cannot be discouraged is Mr. William P. Wood, at present in Washington. He says: "The democratie party suffered a bad defeat the other day, but we will pull ourselves together in tima for the big battle next yaex. I have no doubt whatever that Illinois will oast her electoral vote for the democracy.' providing, of course, that our candidate is made of the right sort of stuff. Business is booming at a sreat pace. Everywhere I have been in fche Last few weeks I found trade improving, 1 look for a general revival of business iU:s summer, and that is all the demooratio party needs. With good times next year democratie snooes? is assoxed,"