The Press., 1898-11-17
Washington Letter.
Washington Nov. IA

now that 1t Is certain that the republicans will have a majority of the next house. It has been regarded as improbable ever since the close of the war that congress will be able at the coming short session to act upon all the legislation made nec- essary by the war, in addition to the reg ular appropriation bills and routine busi- ness. but it was thought that an extra session would depend largely upon the control of the next house. Had the re- publicans lost 1t the administration would have done everything possible to avoid an extra session, by trying to push through at the short session all the legislation needed to carry out its policy, colonial and otherwise. Now no haste will be necessary, and should the present senate not meet the administrators expecta- tions in acting upon bills that go through the house, the president will doubtless feel that an extra session of congress will do as he wishes, as his party will have a large majority in the senate after next March. The administration will there fore be indifferent as to an extra session, knowing that if the last session of the present congress doesn't act upon needed legislation an extra session of the next congress will.
 Things look little threatening in con- nection with the peace negotiations at Paris. That Is, from the European point of view. Nobody in Washington con- siders the cablegrams about Spain's being encouraged to expect European interven- tion as anything more than European newspaper talk, paid for with Spanish money. In fact, at the last cabinet meet ing, Secretary Hay was instructed to have our peace commissioners inform the Span fish commissioners that it was beyond the power of any European nation or combi- nation of nations to modify our demand for the Philippine islands-a demand that this government Is prepared to back with force, if it becomes necessary. The Span ish commissioners were also given a straight tip to the effect that this country was growing tired of the delay, and that if they failed to act much longer the ne- gotiations would be broken off by this government.
 Admiral Schley and Mrs. Schley are in Washington. In order to avoid annoy ances they are at the home of a friend in- stead of at hotel. The admiral declines to say one single word about the thinly yelled slurs at him in the official report of Admiral Sampson, or to add anything to what he had said in his own official re- port. He showed some annoyance when his. attention was called to the controversy ovsf Which political party he belonged to, and said that he had no politics had only voted once in his life; that he be- longed to the country, and that his first and highest duty was always to serve the administration which was in charge of the country. Those are model views for an army or navy officer, too.
 The annual report of Adiutant General Corbin, just made public, says of the ma tional guard: "While the yearly state encampments have been productive of positive good in inparting practical in- struction to the troops participating, the experience of the recent campaign has demonstrated the absolute necessity of further assimilating the condition of en- camped troops to the actual necessities of active service by making the men, while in camp, dependent for their subsistence on the army rations to be furnished by the state authorities, on ration returns, and cooked by the troops in precisely the same manner as on actual service in the field. An organization ordered to state camp for military instruction, relying on caterer to furnish the necessary food, can never acquire that self-reliance which characterizes the regular soldier on active duty, for without previously received in- structions in preparing food, the natural result, when called into service, will be poorly cooked and wasted rations, which, failing to strengthen the physical man make him liable to febrile and stomach troubles incident to service in sll kinds of weather, under distressing, but una- voidable, conditions
 The Canadian-American commission
 which held series of sessions last sum-
 mer at Quebec, is now doing the same 1T
 Washington. Anything like an agree
 ment upon the matters in dispute between the U. g. and Canada definite enough te
 be put into treaty is still long ways
 off. It is expected that the commission
 will sit in Washington for a considerable time, although the assembling of congress
 will make 1t difficult for Senators Fair
 banks and Faulkner and Representative Dingley, three of the five American com
 missioners, to give much of their time tt
 its meetings. The other two American
 commissioners are Hon. John w. Foster
 ex-secretary of state, and Hon. John A
 Kasson, who is special diplomatic agen
 for this government in the negotiation O
 reciprocity treaties under the Dingle.
 tariff law.
 In view of the failure of other govern ment experiments, the cynics are dispose' to poke fun at the announcement that tn
 board of ordinance and Notifications
 the war department have deciden to spen' $25, 900 experimenting with flying ma chimes.
 T--e O-her Way Around. The loyalty of the Scottish highlande
 to his kilt is a picturesque thing H W ill never admit that it makes hin cold, and -highlanders who were suffer ing from cold in the ordinary dress o civilization have been known to substi tute the kilt for it in order to ge ] warm, though this would be much lik removing one's coat and waistcoat ant rolling up one's shirt sleeves for tn same purpose.