The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-02-03

AhTh Uh HOfG6, 6eneral Gd1COr.
HAD President-elect Mckinley par
ticularly designed it, he could not have
pleased the old soldier element of the
party more than he has done by the Sc
lection of General Russell A. Alger of
Michigan, to be his Secretary of War.
Gen. Alger is also popular with the
party at large, and the Michigan dele
CATION in Congress is especially well
pleased with the honor bestowed upon
him.
SENATOR PROCTOR is the author OF
proposition to amend the National
Constitution, frightening the presiden-
tial term to six years, making the Presi-
dent ineligible to reelection and ex-
tending to three years the period for
which Representatives shall be chosen,
thus dividing, as at present, the term
Of the executive into two Congresses.
Senator Proctor recently supported his
proposals of amendment by a strong
speech in the Senate, the substance of
which our readers will find on page
three of this issue.
Elk QUEEN LILIUoKALANI,w who is now
in Washington, is reported to be very
discreet in her utterances as tot her OBJ
ject in visiting the United States at
this time, but one of her attendants has
disclosed her purposes lby stating that
she thought President Cleveland ought,
before retiring from Office, to replace
her upon the throne. She has been
badly advised if she thinks any such
thing as that can be accomplished. AL
though Mr.. Cleveland was at one time
very anxious to restore the deposed
queen to authority, there is reason to
believe that he has long since realized
the mistake he made in his policy
towards Hawaii, and that he would not
new carry it out if he could.
THE Senate committee on Foreign Re-
lstions, having amended the arbitration
treaty to meet the objection to it, by
the insertion of sentence excepting
from arbitration, except by special
agreement, all questions affecting the
foreign or domestic policy of either of
contracting parties, or the relations of
either with any other nation, and by
striking out that part which gave King
Oscar of Sweden authority to name the
umpire, has reported the treaty to the
Senate with recommendation that it
be ratified, and there is now little doubt
of its speedy ratification. Another
treaty has just been signed with Great
Britain and sent to the Senate, provid-
ing for a determination of portion of
the Alaskan boundry line.
SEVERAL anti-republican Senators
made quite bluff of opposing the bill
authorizing President Mckinley to ap-
point delegates to represent this country
at any international monetary confer
ence that may be called by any other
country, or that he in his judgment may
deem advisable to call; but when it
came to the scratch only four votes
were cast against the bill in the Senate.
No trouble is expected in getting the
bill through the House. A notable
feature of the short debate which pre-
ceeded the passage of the bill by the
Senate was the speech made by Senator
Hoar, who, when abroad last year, made
it point to secure information on the
growth of bimetallism in Europe. He
expressed the positive opinion that in
ternational bimetallism was bound to
come in time. AS to the length of time
he said, " If not in three months, then
in three years. 1t will be stronger
twelve months hence than it is to-day,
and it is stronger to day than it was
twelve months ago." Mr.. Hoar quoted
original letters in his possession to
show why he believed that four great
nations, the United States, England,
France and Germany were steadily
advancing towards bimeta lism.
WHILE there are few republicans in
Congress who would have named Ly-
man j. Gage of Chicago, had they been
asked to select President McKinley's
Secretary of the Treasury, all agree in
commencing the choice now that it has
been made by Major Mckinley. Many
Republican Senators and Representa-
tives are personally acquainted with
Mr.. Gage, and those who have not that
honor are familiar through others with
his splendid business career in Chicago,
where he has resided for more than
forty years. From business stand
point there is not a flaw in the record