Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-03
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
Congress Looks on the Nicaragua
Canal with Favor.
An Immense Undertaking-Row Between The
Two houses-Pfesident lncensed.

said Hon. H. J. Geary Of California in re-
ply to questions ON the Nicaragua canal.
1.-The point Of interest is that this house
will certainly pass the bill next December,
and the senate, you know, has always been
more favorable to it. The senate is the
body that takes high ground for national
dignity, and 50 there will be no trouble
there Tho only point that need be i'm
pressed on the public mind just now is
that this bill provides for complete reor-
ganization, and Senator Morgan approves
IL in place 81 bis own. 1t makes the CAPT
tai stock of the canal company $50, 000,-
900, and of this 81 00O 600 fiat are to go to
the old company for its rights, and enough
more to pay for the work already done, the
latter sum not to exceed 81, 800, 600 Mic
aragua and Costa Rica are to take ~, 500,
600, and this leaves $40, 900, 600, which the
United States is to take. The nation
mind you, Is to be virtually stakeholder
and control tho canal, as there would be
neither common sense nor patriotism in
any other plan. / am satisfied, I say, that
congress will pass tho Bill because know
that common sense rules this body in the
long run, and well Informed Americans do
not want g fly in the face Of Providence
and go squarcly against the headings Of
reason ana patriotism
Success of the Nicaragua Canal.
"What about the announcement that the
promoters have given up hope here and
gone to Englrnd?" .Es.
1t H. what your sort of mon would call
n bluff Perhaps it Is i'm attempt TO revive
interest just now we arc in fever to
hon inf ~ -
of our rackcton the tariff, and there is the
usual talk iii tho country that this con
grcss has done nothing. Very foolish talk,
too, as no congress for many years has
done so much work or such good work as
this, but thnt is neither hero nor there ox-
ccpt that the public mind is in n condition
unfavorablc to reasoning on this subject.
-Four months from now people will have
had time to realize how much good work
has been done, and tho members will not
DO in such n fever, and then wo shall put
tho bill through a5 a matter of course.
Tho canal will be in successful operation
in eight years, and then you can writo
ycar history end 1t will DO u wonderful
history indeed. Wo shall sec the constlm-
nation of 300 years of thought and work
on the subject. II, however, you must
public this chronology. In 1850 Don An
tonic Galvao pointed out to tho Spanish
administration that this was the route for
u canal across the isthmus. Every century
after that It was renewed. In 1925 tho
United States led by Henry Clay began
to movo in it. In 1926 tho first agreement
was made. in 1S945 the bill will have
passed, and In 1903 the canal will be sue
G., 4
good solid history too"
A Bunl,o Game.
His declaration that this house has done
great deal of good work Is warmly in
dorsed by most of his colleagues, but there
Ia n deal Of grumsling by such men rs
John Do Witt Warner and Mr.. Living
ston, who feel sore on the tariff and sugar.
In FREQ talk on tho subject Judge Terry
of Arkansas said: when tho caucus de-
cides, we must give way, and of course we
knew whom we were in our sober senses
that we should have to yield pretty much
everything to tho scnate just tho same a
good many of MS think that the senate
worked IL bunko game on us IN those tic
votes Just notice how it came out. They
managed to gain ono Republican and lose
Just enough Democrats to make it u tic on
tho amendments offered, which are only
preliminary, but when they camo to the
really important vote on referring it back
they did not even call for the yeas and
nays. II looks like an attempt to scare
us"
And there Is whcro history repeats it.
self" said another western member. 1t s
sort of historical habit i'm tho senate to
have tic votes in such things. Some folks
have forgotten that our much praised Polk.
Walker tariff of 1915 ran against II tie vote
in tho senate ando only became law by the
dccidingVotc of Vice President George NJ,
Dallas. Yet that was tho tariff we Demo
Gratis have been swearing by and clarifying
over ever since. So there is no call to take on
about u ito vote So long as we get the bill
This philosophical spirit grew in the house
Just as tho wrath Of the senate declined,
and it was pleasant to observe that the
samo members who were one week de-
nouncing the senate bill as the mcancst
embodiment of pcriidy were the next week
sending out documents by the thousand to
prove that it was really wonderful i'm
proyomcnt on tho Mckinley bill Experts
have figured tho reduction from that bill
as low as IL and as high rs 2S per cent,
which il Il delightful variation, ms it gives
cNtTN NbttE % tittilNt W Hibh HIS pti tciit
according to his wish to approve or de-
nounco his representative for conscnting
to the bill. Ono amusing feature of the
quarrel in tho party was that several mem
hers who wrote platforms and forwarded
them 10 their district conventions had the
same returned with notice that said con-
vcntion had Endorsed the president and in
forcntially at least condemned the senate
bill.
The Presidents Plain Speech.
During all the racket between the SEN
ate and house the president continued to
talk with his usual vigor and far more
than his usual freedom. He made no Sc
cret of the fact that he was inccnSod Mt
several senators. particularly with those
who had charged him with double dealing
and had come SO near proving it. Any
Nne who succcededin getting to him could
get an opinion, and one very cmphatically
expressed. Every day, however, the mem
bers grew wilder to get away, and all their
thoughts were fixed on the approaching
elections. All eyes are turned first, of
course, 20 Alabama, which starts the game
early with her state elections and with
things in curiously critical condition.