The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-21
President Incapable of BeIfttIinE
Great Questions for the sake
OF Personal Issues.
HISTORY OF TARIFF BILLS
PRESENT CONGRESS PROMISES MOST
RAPID ACTION OF ALL.
Spirited and Perhaps KnOtty Debate
When the Wool Schedule Is
Finally Reached.
special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, June 20.-Democrats and
anti-administration Republicans, who. by
the way, are not very numerous these days
in Washington outside of a few disgrunted
Office seekers, sneer at the Mckinley re-
vival of the Cleveland-Olney arbitration
treaty. and charge it with being a piece of
buncombe invented to divert the popular
mind from the ever-pressing Cuban ques-
tiCn and designed also to produce the inn
preston that Secretary Sherman's time is
to be so given up TO this important arbitra-
ton document that he cannot attend to
such trivial concerns as Hawaiian annexa-j
ton or the war in Cuba. They charge, un1
kindly, that the President has devised this
plan and put off its consrmmation until
next winter for the primary purpose of
charitaby covering up the recent eccen-
tricities of the head of the State Depart
ment which might otherwise become un-
pleasantly conspscuous il the secretary
We're too active in the conduct of the cur
rent details. This is exceedingly unkind
both to the President and to his venerable
premier, and unjust, too. The President
has broad and patriotic aims and pur-
poses in the framing of the foreign policy,
and his spokesmen, when they talk at all
about the charges made against him. say
that before the end of his administration
Mr.. Mckinley will prove himself to be in
entire accord with that American spirit
which believes in the expansion of our ter
ritory and in the absolute domination of
this Republic over affairs in the northern
hemisphere They say, further, that in the
settlement of the Cuban war he will act
as promptly as circumstances warrant and
in way that will command the support
and appreciation of united American peo-
pie. They say he will not be hasty and will
endeavor to avoid a conflict with Spain,
but that through his friendly offices the
Cubans will ere long enjoy the fruits of
their patriotic struggle for self-govern-
ment. They defend the President still fur
ther by saying that he is incapable of be-
littling great international questions by
making them the convenience of or SUBJ
ordinate to individual or personal issues.
1t will be gratifying to the Republicans of
Indiana to know that Senator Fairbanks
enjoys the personal friendship and regard
of the President as much as any man in
public life. The senator is a modest and
very cautious man, and never speaks of
his relations with the President, hut it is
nevertheless true that he is frequent Wis
itor at the White House by personal in
Vitation of the President, who consults him
upon great many important questions.
having singular confidence in his judgment
and sterling common sense. Indiana has not
been so close to an administration in twen-
ty years, except during the time when In
diana was the administration.
Delays have become exceedingly irritating
to the Republicans in the Senate, wac are
trying to hurry the tariff bill along. Every
minute of time that is consumed in debate
they regard as an unnecessary and sinful
waste. The Republicans are doing little
talking, and every time one of them is
provoked into making a reply to Democrat
ic arguments he is taken back into the
cloakroom by his indignant colleagues and
numerically roasted" 1t is expected that
by the end of the coming week the bill
will be very close to a vote, although some
thing untoward may occur to POSTPONE the
happy event for week longer. However,