The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1898-12-03
Washington, D. C., News.
From our Regular Correspondent.


Washington, Nov. Goth, 1898.
The ease with which Mr.. McKin.
ley compelled Spain to cease its
daily dalIying and accept the terms
offered by this government, as soon
as he himself got down to business.
shows that the treaty of Peace
might have been signed 4 month
ago had the administration made
proper use of it's power. The i'll
ferance is plain that the delay was
allowed because it suited the plans
of the administration.
lobbyists are swarming to
Washington because of the impress
sion that the administration will
seek to get Nicaragua Canal legis-
Iation through Congress. The
President of Costa Rica, which
claims q right to be consulted in
the matter, is in Washington as an
official guest of this government; a
representative of Nicaragua is also
on the ground. Representative of
the Old canal company, which by
it's greedy demands has done more
than any other thing to prevent
Legislation in the past, are on hand
to demand compensation for what
it claims to have spent, and the
agents of the New York syndicate,
which claims to have brand new
canal concession are putting out
teelers to ascertain what prospect
they have of getting some money
for it. In addition to all these in
terests, there is a lobby employed
by the French company, that is
now at work on the Panama canal,
for the purpose of trying to prevent
action by Congress looking towards
the construction of the Nicaragua
canal.
Representative McMillin, who
was recently elected Governor of
Tennessee. by majority of thirty
five thousand, will not resign his seat
in the House until about the first
of January, as he will not be inaug
urated governor until after that
date. He was asked what he
thought of the republican assertions
that the silver question is dead,
and said in reply: "It is not even
sleeping. 1t is live issue and it
will be the pivot upon which the
National Campaign of 1900 will
turn. AS long as there is q heavy
taxation, heavy indebtedness of
individuals, corporations and gov
ernment, and vast commercial
transactions requiring large vol
ume of currency, the question of
the extent and nature of our cur
rency will be undecided. 1t will be
a live issue until it is settled to the
satisfaction of the mass of the peo-
pie. [ see that Senator Thurston
says that in the West no attention
was paid to the speakers who iD-
deavored to discuss silver. I am
afraid he listened only to the speak
ers who were on his side. [ know
that i'll Tennessee-and what is
true of Tennessee, is, believe,
true of the entire South-the silver
question is still uppermost."
Senator Hale makes it plain by
his talk that lie intends to join
Senator Hoar in opposing the rati-
tication of the treaty of peace, be-
cause if provides for q. s. owner
ship of the Philippines. Whether
there are other republicans who
will oppose the treaty, is not posi-
lively known, but, unless there
have been some recent charges,
there are sufficient number of |
democrats who will oppose it, to
make it almost certain that no at
tempt will be made to bring the
treaty to a vote during the life of
this Congress. After March 4th, it
is expected that the required two.
thirds vote can be controlled in the
which can be called in ex-
ira session for the express purpose
Of disposing of the treaty, without
calling an extra session of the
House, il Mr. Mckinley so wills it.
That portion of Secretary Longs
annual report, which treats OF the
Of the obstruction of Cervera's feet,
is so thoroughly full OF Sampson
ism that it has disgusted many who
had not heretofore believed in the
existence of the clique in the Navy
which started out
with the determination to exploit
Admiral Sampson as a hero, at the
expense of Admiral Schley, regard
less of facts. II Schley didn't
do any more than Longs report
credits him with, why did Mr.. Nc
Kinley makehim q Rear Admiral9