The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-12-16
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Dec, 10th, 1907.

Secretary Gage is about the only
member of the administration who
would really like to see his recommen.
dations for cinching the hold of the
single gold standard on this country
become laws. Mr.. Mckinley did not
dare to endorse the recommendation
Of his Secretary of the Treasury, and
he has no real desire for the financial
legislation he halfheartedly suggested.
He knows that his roundabout sugges.
ton, of getting rid of the greenbacks
by turning them into gold certificates
could not get through Congress, even
if only the republicans voted upon it.
He was afraid that the recommenda.
tions for amending the National bank.
ing laws, SO as to reduce taxation on
National Bank currency, to allow cur
rency to be issued to the face value of
the bonds deposited with the govern.
ment, and to allow the establishment
of National banks with $4,000 capi-
tai in small places, might get through,
so he added a proviso that he knew
would kill the whole-to make all
National bank notes redeemable in
gold. The administration is simply
trying to bluff a portion of its own
party and the country 1t doesn't
want any financial legislation. This
has already been made plain in the
House by the grab.game engineered
by Mr. Dingley by which his conmt-
tee-Ways and Means-will take
charge of all financial bills and
smother them. Republicans have al
so plainly indicated by their talk that
they had received intimations from
the administration that no financial
legislation was wanted. If public
criticism of its attitude makes its
necessary to strengthen its bluff, the
administration will, through Mr.. Ding
ley, fix up bill and jam it through
the House, knowing that the Senate
would not act upon it. OF course,
the people OF this country are fools
enough not to know the difference
between this sort Of thing and real
craftsmanship, and they will be SO
sorry that the administration isn't able
to get what it doesn't want-so sorry
that they'll elect a democratic Con
gress next year.
The administration doesn't wish
the Nicaragua Canal question to be
acted upon by this Congress, and
when Mr.. Mckinley said IN his mes
sage that he would have something
further to say on the subject when he
admitted the report of the Commits
sion which has just started for Nicar-
aqua to make new survey and est-
mate of cost, under an act of Con-
gress, he was fully aware that the COM
mission was not likely to make re-
port before the death of the Fifty
fifth Congress. In fact, it is known
that members Of the commission were
given broad hint before their depart
ure that their report was not expect
ed before March 4, 1899.
One Nebraska republican-Mr.
Winfield S. Strawn, an Omaha lawyer
has turned up In Washington who
is honest enough to publicly say that
the republicans have no chance to
carry that State, either at the Con-
gresSional elections next year or the
National election of 1900. Mr..
Strawn says the republicans have not
been able to get back the farmer
votes they lost on the silver question,
and that they are not likely to get
them back so long as that question is
unsettled.
With the exception of Senators
Morgan, of Ala, and German, of Md,
every democratic Senator is now lined
up against the annexation of Hawaii,
and the opposition among the repub-
hcans already includes Senators Hoar,
Morrill, and Pett:grew. This makes
it impossible to procure the two-thirds
vote needed to ratify the treaty pro-
viding for annexation, and the repub-
hcans are already seriously thinking of
abandoning the treaty and trying to
secure annexation by majority legisla-
ton. 1t looks little as though the
annexation question was going to be
used by the Reed machine to whack
Mckinley over the head. The Gear
is understood to have privately an
nounced himself to be opposed to
annexation. In fact, present indica-
tions are that before this session has
grown very old the line between Nc
Kinley republicans and Reed republi.
cans will be sharply drawn.
If Spain isn't entirely pleased with
the situation at the Washington end
of the line she must be hard to please.
1t was new thing for President of
the United States to devote nearly
half of his message to Congress to an