The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-03-30
In CONGRESS-.
The President Expected to Veto the seig.
niorago Bill,
TIE NEW TREATY WITH CHINA.
Wh.t Repr,syntltiya Bland Thinks of the
Cozey Army Business.
WASHINGTON. Mar. 90. 1904.

work than that which has just closed.
Last Monday Vice President Steven
son signed the Bland bill for the coin
age Of the seigniorage and it was at
once placed in the hands Of the Pres
ident Since that time he has devot-
ed his entire time to the bill, and,
although no announcement has been
made to that effect, the opinion seems
to be gaining ground here that he will
veto the bill. If he neither vetoes
nor signs the bill by Thursday of this
week it will become law without any
action on the Presidents part. The
veto of the bill will be great disap-
pointment to democrats from the
south and west in congress, but if 1t
be vetoed no attempt will be made to
pass it over the veto.
Secretary Gresham smashed some
precedents when he made public the
new treaty with China in advance Of
the action of the Senate upon it, but
it was the sensible thing to do, even
if garbled extracts from the treaty had
not leaked out and been printed in
papers unfriendly towards the admins
tration. OF course Secretary Gres-
ham would have preferred that the
making public of this treaty should
have been deferred until it could have
been accompanied by the commercial
treaty, to which it was the stepping
stone, which has been negotiated and
is now awaiting the approval of the
Chinese government. The present
treaty relates entirely to the rights of
the citizens of the two countries when
living in either, and contains several
marked concessions concerning the
coming Of Chinese to America. For
that reason it is Objectionable to some
Of the Senators and Representatives
from the Pacific coast, but, in view Of
the advantages to be gained by the
commercial treaty, to come later, 1t is
not thought that the opposition will
be strong enough to endanger the rat
ihcation Of this treaty, but the Senate
may decide, on account of the slip.
peryness of Chinese diplomacy, to
withhold ratification until it is known
that the commercial treaty has been
approved by China.
Nothing is easier than to build up
absurd stories by accepting wrong
constructions of an act as a founda-
ton upon which to build, and nothing
is apparently more enjoyable to those
Washington correspondents who fur
nish imaginary matter for the sensa-
tional republican press, than to put a
wrong construction upon every act of
President Cleveland's. A case in
point was the designation by the Pres
ident of Rear Admiral Walker for the
command of the Pacific Station. AL
though it was officially stated that
Admiral Walker was given this COM
mand because the administration had
decided to extend an appropriation
made in 1892, by Congress, in fitting
up a coal and naval station at Pearl
Harbor, Hawaii, the right to do so
having existed since the ratification
of the treaty of 1887, and he was
thoroughly familiar with the harbor
and its surroundings, but, putting a
wrong construction upon it, these
correspondents built up stories show
ing that the selection was made be-
cause Of an intention to interfere with
the provisional government of Hawaii.
These stories were not only false and
known by their concocters to be false,
but they were positive insult to the
President of the United States, who
had months ago formally and officially
turned all matters relating to the gov
ernment of Hawaii over to Congress
yet they were printed. Legitimate
criticism is all right in its proper place
but lies and Misrepresentation are
always cowardly and always contempt
ible no matter who makes use o
them.
General Wade Hampton knows as
well how to snub impertinence as any
man in public life. The other day he
called on a Senator who has a private
secretary who is a victim of the i'm,
pertinent habit. AS the General after
leaving the Senator was passing
through the room occupied by the
private secretary, that individual stop
ped him and said: "You asked fol
half minute and have stayed in hall
an hour; you ought to get medal.
"Young man" replied General Hamp
ton without moments hesitation
''you remind me of what Mrs. Part
ington told Ike when he said he wa
going to get medal" "What was
that?" asked the smart Aleck, with ;
grin. "Well, Ike, you deserve a media
for you are the most meddlesome Gus
I ever saw. Good morning, Mr.. Sec
retary."