The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-12-09
" ashingtOn Letter.
From our regular Correspondent

President Mckinley has about fin
lshed his annual message to Congress,
except that portion dealing with the
treaty of peace. Spain has accepted
our terms, and it is expected that the
treaty will be signed in time to enable
the President to get as many o. its de-
tails as it is deemed expedlent to make
puolic in his message.
There is no uneasiness IN admins
tratlon circles about the ratification of
the treaty of peace by the Senate, al
though several republican Senators
and number Of democratic Senators
are talking against ratification. The
only thing that the opposition can do
is to delay ratification by preventing
vote at the coming session. 1t
would be better, of course, that the
treaty should be promptly ratified, but
inasmuch as we shall have everything
in our own hands, and as there is no
intention to govern the newly acquir-
ed territory, in any other way than by
military rule, for at least a year, the
delay will make no material difference,
even if it extends to the end of the
coming session of Congress. The
President can easily call an extra ses-
sion of the Senate, which will be
strongly republican after the fourth of
next March, to ratify the treaty, and
he can he sure that it will be speedily
done.
The necessity for a cable to Hawaii
is so apparent that IL is regarded as
probable that the bill providing form
of government for Hawaii will also
provide for the laying OF a cable, which
shall be subject to the control of this
government, if not actually owned by
it. No trouble is anticipated in pass
ing the Hawaiian bill, whether it in
eludes the cable provision or not
President Mckinley finds it difficult
to repress smile when some promin-
ent caller begins to tell him the reasons
the same old reasons that he has
heard a thousand times-why the U.
S. should not take the Philippines.
The President never contradicts them.
On the contrary, he expresses the
heartiest agreement with number of
these reasons. After his anti-expan-
sion callers have exhausted their rea-
sons and arguments, The President
usually says something like this
"Some of your reasons are excellent,
but there is one glaring weakness in
your position; you do not provide a
satisfactory way in which the Philip
pines may be disposed Of Everybody
admits that we could not, with justice,
not to. mention humanity, turn the
islands over to Spain again the ma
tives are in no condition to maintain
an independent government. Now, if
the u. S. doesn't take control of them,
please give me your opinion of what
ought to be done with them. bearing
in mind that to attempt to transfer
them to any European nation, other
than Spain, which is out OF the ques-
ton, would almost certainly precipi-
tate great war;" Up to this time
none of the anti-expansionists have
suggested satisfactory way for us to
escape the responsibility of Philippine
control, and only few OF them have
made the attempt.
The u. S. Consul at Edinburg. says
in report to the Department. OF State !;
"American made agricultural machin-
ery is widely used on the farms of
Scotland. Most kinds Of machinery
for farm purposes, manufactured In
the U. S., have long been preferred by
farmers here, ON account OF price,
quality and design" The man who
would have predicted twenty years
ago that we should be selling large
quantities of farming implements in
any portion of the British Empire,
would have been considered a fit SUBJ
iect tor an insane asylum. There is
no telling to what extent our trade
will grow in the next twenty years, II
the wise policy, which has always been
feature of Republican National adj
ministration shall be continued with
out interruption. Nothing is likely to
stop the expansion of our foreign COM
merce in every direction, owing to the
improbability that the democrats Will
be in position to saddle any more
disastrous tariff experiments on the
country for long time.
Those democrats who jump to the
conclusion that the announcement
that this government would maintain
the "open door" policy IN the COM
merce of the Philippines meant that
there was to be free trade with the is
lands simply exposed their ignorance.
The term "open door" has long been
in use in Europe, and means, not free