Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1893-02-16
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

| WASHINGTON, Fab. 8, 1898.
The United States will not anne,
Hawaii, at least not for some time tc
come. Ii the commissioners OF tn.
provisional government of Hawaii
who are now in Washington, are au
thorized to negotiate treaty where
by the protection of the United States
will be thrown over the republic oil
Hawaii, the president is prepared to
give it to them, and, although the sen.
timent in congress seems to favor i'm.
mediate annexation, there will be no
difficulty in getting such treaty con.
tirmed by the senate.
The assuming of a protectorate over
Hawaii will, of course, be the first step
toward ultimate annexation, but
there are many reasons why it will be
more advisable than precipitate an.
nexation. 1t would give the people Of
that country control of their own
affairs, and at the same time the
powerful protection of this country,
and when they have had sufficient ex-
perience in the duties of citizenship
under Republican form OF govern
ment annexation will NATURALLY follow,
to the advantage of all concerned.
What England or any other foreign
country will do about it is not seri-
ously considered, because the opinion
is practically unanimous that this is
question in which no European
country will be allowed to in
fiuence this government. 1t is an
American question and Americans
| will settle it to suit themselves what
ever the consequences. England has
for many years been trying to get its
clutches on Hawaii, and during Mr..
Harrison's administration it made a
proposal, which was promptly re-
Jected, looking toward a joint English
and American protectorate for
Hawaii. 1t is supposed that the
English government will go through
the form OF making diplomatic pro-
test against whatever this country
may do, but nobody cares for that,
or expects that it will be followed by
anything serious.
Few measures ever before congress
have been more talked about and
more abused than the anti-option bill,
which has passed the senate by a vote
of 40 to go The bill now goes to the
house for concurrence in the senate
amendments, and it's final fate is still
considered doubtful, as some of the
shrewdest parliamentary jugglers on
the floor of the house are it's sworn
enemies, and will, if they are given an
opportunity, tie the bill up so tight
| that the knots cannot be united be-
fore the 4th of March. A rumor has
been hoated to the effect that assur-
ances had been received by some of
the opponents of the bill that the bill
would be vetoed, if it ever got to the
white house. This may be set down
as lie for even if the president fully
intended to veto this or any other
bill he is not the kind OF man to ad-
vertise his intentions. At no time did
politics enter the discussion. but only
nine OF the twenty-nine votes against
it were cast by Republican senators.
The Democratic era of simplicity
and economy is to be ushered in by
spending SO, 900 in the decorating OF
the big hall of the pension office, in
which the the Cleveland Inauguration
ball is to be held. The contract was
awarded this week by the citizeus
inaugural committee and it is said to
be another Tammany plum.
i House subcommittee this week be-
gan the investigation of the whisky
trust and OF the alleged bribery Of
Americans with Panama canal money
Bynum, OF Indiana, is in charge OF the
first, and Fellows, of New York, OF the
last.
Senator Hill again displayed his
ability fer making a speech without
committing himself to either side o
the measure, in debate on the silver
question Tuesday. The enemies o
silver attempted to set date for con
sideration OF the proposition to repea
the Sherman law, but were defeated
by vote of 43 to %. This settle
the silver question in this congress.
Unless congress does a great dea
more in the next three weeks than j
has done in the past two months j
, has been in session, an extra session
is inevitable, as some OF the regula
appropriation bills will fail. This
$ fully recognized by the senate, whic
!. now meets at l O'Clock daily.
A caucus of Republican senator's ha
added Arizona to the territories to
admitted to statehood, the list no.
reading New Mexico, Oklahoma, Uta