The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-22
TREATY WILL Be RATIFIED.
DEMOCRATS WILL NOT SERIOUSLY
OPPOSE RATIFICATION.
Clark Howell Wires His Paper That
the Final Decision Is Certain TO
Be in It's Favor and That the
Expansion Fight Will Come Later

NEW YORK, Dec CLARK Howell
member OF the Democratic national COM
ulittee fran Georgia and editor OF the
Atlanta Constitution. after consulting With
the leaders OF both political parties at
Washington, telegraphed as follows to his
paper tonight:
With the adjournment OF congress Tor
the holidays the final decision OF the peace
treaty Is as clear as IL VIII be after
vote has been taken in the senate. Two
weeks ago the matter was In doubt-today
it is as certain that the treaty will be-
ratified as il will be that IL has after the
vote has been taken.
Mr.. Bryan has been in Washington for
several days and has conferred frequently
with the Democratic leaders in both the
senate and the house He has advised
ratification OF the treaty and he Is out
spoken in the opinion that aside from the
question OF national obligation IL Is a
matter Of party policy for the Democrats
TO throw no obstacle IN the way OF rati-
flcation. There are leading Democrats of
both the senate and the house who less
than d week ago were In doubt as to
whether or not the Democrats should as
ssst in ratifying the treaty; more than
that. some of them Were oQtspoken in TIE
opinion that il was perhaps better 10 re-
1ect IL. Today many OF these Democratic
leaders take the open position that the
treaty should be ratified and that IL Will
be. No one who has studied the situation
from the inside. can have any reasona ole
doubt. 1t must not Dc understood tnat
the ratification OF the treaty Will carry
with il the assumption that ali those Who
vote affiTmatively are in favor OF national
expansion across the Pacific. OF the sem
ators who viii vote IN favor OF the treaty
there viii be Republicans as we'll as Dem
ocrats who are opposed in principle, as
well as in theory 10 the transoceanic ex-
pdIiSlon Of our national domain. InSy
take. however, and very properly. the
view that the question Of expansion per sc
il not involved in the consideration Of the
peace treaty ami that after the treaty
has been ratified with Spain and has been
eliminated as u factor in the Philippine
problem il VIII lie time enough TO consider
the policy To be pursued IN dealing with
the Philippines, and just here viii come
the real contest OF the question of cx-
paglsi0n.
Mr. Howell then says that after the
treaty has been finally disposed Of, Il
resolution viii he introduced making dec
Iaration Of the proposed policy of this
government in dealing With the Philippines,
and that this resolution viii be framed
very much on the basis OF the Cuban
resolution adopted coincident with the
declaration of war, in which IL Was de-
clared that the policy OF this government
would be 10 give the people OF Cuba
free and independent government OF their
Own.
Mr. Howell further says: The vote on
this proposed resolution Will not be con-
fined by any means 10 party lines, and the
outcome is in doubt. y large majority Of
the Democrats VIII vote ia favor OF Il and
"a large majority OF the Republicans VIII
vote against il. but the size of either
minority is sufficiently involved i'll doubt
to render exceedingly questionable the
final action that VIII be taken on the
resolution