The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-11-25
OUR wAsnINGTON LETTER.
WAsuISGToN, DC, Nov %, 1897

ASHINGTON, DC, Nov y, 1897. |
No President for years has paid
more Difference to the opinions of
members of his party than Maj. Nc
kinIey does, and no President has
ever taken more pains to ascertain
the opinions of his callers upon public
matters. While there is no question
of public Importance upon which
President Mckinley has not well
defined opinion of his own, he
invites the freest expression of the
| opinions of others and is not so self
opinionate as not to be sometimes
| convinced that his own are erroneous.
Just now he takes every opportunity
of drawing out the opinions of his
callers on matters of which his annual
message to Congress will treat. While
his message, which will be a long one,
has been all blocked out, what he
! hears between now and when the
final revising is done may make ma
terial difference in portions Of it.
If there isn't an arbitration treaty
| between Great Britain and the Uni
ted States before the adjournmen+s,naf
Congress, it will not be the fault %
President Mckinley as he intends to
send new treaty to the Senate early
in the session, drawn to meet the
expressed objections TO the enc that
was rejected by the Senate at the last
session
Representative Dolliyer, of Iowa,
whose prominence in Republican
councils makes his opinions upon leg
islative matters OF value, passed
through Washington on his way
home, where he expects to eat his
Thanksgiving dinner, from an eastern
trip. In reply to the question as to
whether he thought currency legisla-
ton probable at this session of Con
gress, he said: - doubt if bill can
be framed that will meet the approval
of both houses of Congress. It is not
unlikely, however, that the House
will take up legislation in line with
the recommendations of the Presi-
dents message. These, take it. will
be reasonable and conservative, and
strictly along the line of the record
and platform OF the Republican par
ty." Mr.. Dolliver says he thinks the
early annexation of Hawaii absolutely
certain, and regards that the settle
ment of the Union Pacific railroad
debt as among the administration s
most creditable work. His opinion of
Congress taking the Cuban question
up, as advocated by Democrats and
administration newspapers, is
worthy of more than Il passing
thought He said: IF the combined
wisdom of the Executive and the
State Department is not equal to
solving the Cuban problem, G0'not
believe it would help matters to throw
it into a Congressional joint debate. -
Attorney General Mckenna is pre-
pairing the papers that will be neces-
sary in foreclosure proceedings
against the Central Pacific railroad,
which will, in January next, owe the
United States Government nearly
#35, 600 600, 50 that no time will be
lost in case the company defaults, as
it IS expected it viii do. foreclosure
proceedings are taken, theyare likely
to include the Western Pacific rail
road also.
Experts on the cultivation and
marketing Of the export tobaccos of
Kentucky and Tennessee are invited
by Secretary Wilson to write what
they know on the subject, to be used
in a series of tobacco bulletins to be
issued by the Department Of Agri-
culture. Accepted contributions will
be paid for at the rate of $l5 thous-
and words, and while no length limit
is set, it is net desired that any single
communication shall exceed ten
thousand words.
The conclusion of the members of
the Executive Committee Of the In
| tl'tIli lJOlIS L llltllClGi convention Oh
last winter, which has been holding a
monetary conference in Washington
for some time past, not to make their
report public until after President
Mckinley's message and Secretary
Cages annual report have been sub
mitted to Congress, probably means
that the measure which the commit
tee will recommend to Congress will
be in the main along the same lines
as the financial recommendation that
= will be made in Secretary Cages
annual report and endorsed by Presi
dent Mckinley. In statement Just
issued by this committee, much more
confidence is expressed in the passing
of financial legislation by this Con
: gress than there are indications in
sight to justify.