Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-28
CUBA FORE MOST.
Congress Likely to Think of
Little Else This Week.
MAINE REPORT.
Interest Among Senators and
Representatives at High Pitch.
Today Expected to Be Notable in Annals
of Congress-Forecast of Proceedings
in Senate and House.
MAINE REPORT.

crowd that has attended a session of
congress in years is expected at the
capital tomorrow, when the official re-
port of the board of inquiry on the
Maine disaster will be given to the coun-
try. Extra instructions have been is
sued to the attendants, and admission to
the reserved galleries will be strictly by
card. Not one-tenth Of the persons who
storm the doors are expected to gain
admission. The members of the house
await the report with the same feverish
anxiety the public manifests, and there
are not likely to be a dozen vacant
seats on the floor. The scene when the
report is read probably will be intensely
dramatic, but those. who go to the capi-
tol tomorrow expecting to see its pre-
sentation followed by wild furore of
oratory, probably will be sorely dis
appointed. The report and accompany
ing message will be BRIEF and after be-
ing read, will be referred to the COM
mittee on foreign affairs without debate.
Mr. Hit of Illinois, chairman OF the
foreign affairs committee, will be rec
ognized by the speaker to make this
lllOLlOns
1t is the wish of the president, expressed
to the leaders of both parties, that this
course be followed, and the program has
been agreed upon by all, irrespective of
party.
Should any single member attempt to
interfere with it, a demand for the pre-
vious question will take him off his
feet.
Once in committee, the findings of the
| II y.a,,,o tn ora until q TpDOrt
Is made by the committee, which will
certainly not be until Spain's explana-
ton and position are made known to
the administration. Meantime the pre-
cipitation of the Cuban issue between
Spain and the United States Is likely to
throw the Maine disaster which the adj
ministration intends to deal with as a
separate and distinct incident, into the
background as a subject for future set
tlement, unless Spain should take
a position-not now anticipated-that
would compel immediate action.
The president on Wednesday probably
will transmit a message asking for an
appropriation to relieve the starvation
in Cuba.
The appropriation, it is expected, will
be voted with almost as much unani-
NIFTY as was the $50 O000,0 600 for the ma
tional defence, but the debate may
bring out some criticism Of the adminis-
tration's policy by those who believe
radical and aggressive intervention
should be taken at once. The admins
tratfon is assured, however, OF a strong
majority for the policy it has SO far
mapped to the republican and democra-
tic leaders.
The members are SO completely alb
sorbed by the questions of the hour
that in the remainder of the week they
are likely to inject debate upon these
questions into the proceedings at every
opportunity But the rules as at present
enforced are rigorous, and the outcrop-
ping of passion and patriotism is likely
to be confined largely to the debate up
on the naval appropriation bill. Every
effort will be made to dispose of this
bill as quickly as possible in order to
remove opportunity for inf1ammatory
speeches. The republican leaders be-
lieve they are justified in exercising res
traint until the time for action ar
rives
After the Maine report is read, tomor-
row, the death of Representative Simp-
kins will be announced, and the house
Immediately will adjourn as mark of
respect Tuesday and Friday are pri-
vate bill days, and a contested election
case could be thrown into the house to
consume the remainder of the week
Under the rules any attempt to discuss
the Cuban question, except during the
consideration of the naval bill and then
only by subterfuge, can be prevented.
IN THE SENATE
Washington, March 27.-The import
ant event Of the week in the senate will
be the receipt Of the presidents mes
sage transmitting the report on the
Maine court Of inquiry, which is ex-
no 4o1 MI
present understanding is that the report
will be referred to the committee ON for
eign relations and sent to the printer
without being read, or more than Incl
dentally referred to, and that after this
nothing more will be said concerning it
until the committee shall have had
reasonable opportunity to consider it,
or until some further communication
may be received from the president on
the Cuban question.
There has been q general appeal from
the administration to the senate to avoid
undue agitation Of the Cuban subject
until the president can have an opportu-
nifty to formulate policy, and the SEN
ate appears quite disposed to comply
with the request. Still there is no doubt
that the senate would grow very restive
under long delay. Senator Money ex-
poets to make a speech tomorrow on the
lines of those of Senators Proctor, Gal
linger and Thurston, based upon his OBJ
servations in Cuba.
What further discussion there may be
during the week on the Cuban situation
will depend so largely upon further de-
velopments that it is useless to discuss
the probabilities.
If the president should make a rec
ommendauon, or the committee on for
eign relations report, the senate at once
would become the centre of an animated
discussion, the result Of which would be
some radical declaration against Spain.
The problem now Is to mold the express
sion of opinion down to the minimum
pending the negotiations of the presi-
dent and the deliberations of the com
m!ttee There Is very little heart in
the senate for any other business than
that relating to Cuba, and the probabili-
ties are that comparatively little will be
done and that the sessions will be COM
paratively snort. Aside from Senator
Moneys speech, there Is q special order
providing for the taking up of the pri-
vate pension bills on the calendar Mon
day, beginning at O'clock. Tuesday at
2 o'clock, eulogies will be delivered on
the late Senator Earle of South Carolina
Senator 1Caffery's speech on the quar-
antine bill, which has already run for
two days. has not been completed, and
| it may be resumed during the week. 1t
may be said in a general way, however,
that Cuba will occupy almost the entire
thought-if 1t is not the subject of the
speech of the senate for the week-and
,rrbiia a. NAV he rnsqib1a to nraatfcal1v