The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-12-22
WILL BE RATIFIED WITHOUT OR-
JECTION FROM DEMOCRATS
IN CONGRESS
EXPANSION QUESTION
WILL COME UP LATER
SO SAYS MR.. CLARK HOWELL, WHO
HAS THOROUGHLY CANVAssED
THE SUBJECT
COL. BRYAN INDORSES
ACCEPTANCE OF TREATY

when the Next Presidential Fight
Is InaHgurated the Issue OF Ter
r1tortaI Acquisition May Play an
important Part - Until Then
Democrats Are Urged to Throw
No Stumbling Block I'm tho w,1
NEW YORK, Dec. 21.-CIark Howell
member Of the Democratic national
committee from Georgia and editor Of
the Atlanta Constitution, after con-
sulting with the leaders of both of the
political parties at WASHINGTON. teIe-
graphed as follows to his paper to-
night
with the adjournment of congress-
for the holidays, the final decision on
the peace treaty is as clear as il will
be after vote has been taken in the
senate. Two weeks ago the matter
was in doubt; today it is certain that
| the treaty will be ratified as 1t will be
! that 1t is after the vote has been taken.
Mr.. Bryan has been in Washington
| for several days and has conferred
! frequently and freely with the Demo-
| cratic leaders of the treaty, and he
| is outspoken in the opinion that, aside
from the question of national obliga-
| ton, it is matter of party policy for
| the Democrats to throw no obstacles
! In the way of ratification. There are
, leading Democrats of both the senate
| and house who, less than week ago.
| were in doubt as to whether or not
! Democrats should assist in ratifying
/ the treaty; more than that some Of
! them were outspoken in the opinion
| that 1t was perhaps better to reject it,
| Today many of these Democratic lead
ers take open position that the treaty
| should be ratified, and that it will be
no one who studies from situation from
the inside can have any reasonable
! doubt
The ratification of the treaty will
not carry with it the assumption that
! all those who vote affirmatiVely are
in favor Of national expansion across
| the Pacific. OF the senators who will
| vote in favor of the treaty there will
| be Republicans as we'll as Democrats
who are opposed in principle, as we'll
| as theory, to the transoceanic eXpan-
! sion of our national domain. They
| take the view that the question of ex-
| panSiOn is not involved in the con-
sideration of the peace treaty, and
| that, after the treaty has been ratified
and Spain has been eliminated as a
| factor Of the Philippine problem, it
will be time enough to consider the
/ policy to be pursued in dealing with
the Philippines, and just here will
| come the real contest of the question
! of expansion
AFTER THE TREATY.
Mr.. Howell then says that after the
| treaty has been finally disposed of a
resolution will be introduced making a
disclosure Of the policy of the govern
ment in dealing with the Philippines
and this resolution will be framed very
much on the basis of the Cuban reso-
luton adopted coincdent with the
declaration of war, in which it was
declared that the policy of this gov
ernment would be to give the people
Of Cuba a free and independent gov
ernment of their own. Mr.. Howell
| says;
1T is the determination to present a
resolution of this kind as a rallying
point of the expansion and anti-expan-
sion forces, both Democrats and Re-
publicans, that takes from the consid-
Grafton of the peace treaty such doubt
as might have existed as to the out
come and which now makes it's ratI-
ficatiOn a foregone conclusion"
Mr.. Howell further says:
"The vote on this proposed resolu-
tion will not be confined by any means
doubt A large majority of the Demo-
Gratis will vote in favor of it, and
large majority of the Republicans will
vote against 1t, but the size of either
minority is sufficiently involved in
doubt as to render exceedingly ques-
tionable the final action that will be
taken on the resolution.
THE Republicans as a body will IA
vor the ratification Of the peace treaty
and will oppose any further action.
They will hold that it Will be time
enough to cross the Philippine bridge
when they get to it, and in the mean
time the islands should be held III
strict military government, and if in
Gods own time it is demonstrated that
the Philippines are able to take care
Of themselves and desire to maintain a
government of their own, 1t will be
time enough for the government of the
United States to take up the question
and act accordingly"
Mr. Howell summarizes the situation
as follows:
LAS the result of the final encounter
over the resolution it may be that the
country will witness the spectacle OF
badly severed party lines and out Of
1t may be furnished the battle crisis
around which will be formed the lines.