Evening star., 1898-12-01
VIEWS OF Mr.. BURTON
Efforts Will Be Made to Avoid an
Extra Session.
NOT DEMANDED BYCURRENCY REFORM
Will Be Caused Only by Failure of
Routine Legislation.
FUTURE OF PHILIPPINES

Representative Burton of Ohio. who is re-
garded generally as one of the strong mon
OF the republican party in the House, talk
ed interestingly with Star reporter today
on the legislative and general situation con-
fronting the country at the approach Of the
assembling of Congress. Mr.. Burton arriv-
ed from Ohio today, and is at the Norman
die.
Every effort is going to be made" lie
said, ito avoid an extra session of the Fiji
ty-sixth Congress. The members do not
like to be called to Washington out of sea-
sen, and a President does not like to in
pose it upon them unless the need for so
doing is very great. This and other gen.
eral considerations will lead TO a strong
effort to have postponed until the Decem-
Der following such matters as cannot he
disposed of this winter. / am not aitogetha n
certain. how ever. that an extra session can
be avoided. The pressure Of business may
be such this coming session that an early
meeting of the next Congress will be rCr-
dered absolutely necessary.
Disposition Of the Philippines.
I'VE do not know how much time will be
taken up in the consideration of the peace
ueaty. If ii provokes much discussion and
is considered to the exclusion of everything &
else it may not be possible to get throus h
with all the appropriation bills. If 1t is
merely d treaty OF peace with the uncondi-
tional cession of territory. carrying no pro-
visions affecting the government or dis
position of the islands. it might be ratified
speedily and all the routine legislation OF
the session be got through with on time.
In that case / think it would be better that
the question of the government and dispc-
sition of the Philippines should be allowed
to go over until the following December.
think ii likely that we shall wait that 10 2
to learn whether or not the people of the
Philippines are capable of self-government
and Will then conclude that they are not,
and will give them a government ourselves.
We shall probably do as the judge Who an
rounced that he would reserve his decision
until the next term of the court when he
would decide in favor of the plaintiff.
think. however, myself, that we are too
much in the dark to attempt the settlement
of the question of government at once. and
just how We should settle it is a difficult
question.
The Question of Expansion.
There is really no policy of expansion
at ISSUE. We are not expansionsts and
there is practically no expansionist senti-
ment in the country, in the sense of a
greedy desire to acquire more territory.
The situation is that circumstances have
left us certain duties to perform, and the
question is how We can best acquit our
selves of the obligation? l sympathize
with the statement credited to the PreSi-
dent that he was ready to consider any
suggestion for the disposition of the Philip
pines that came short of restoring them TO
Spain. l do not think there is any senti-
ment in this country in favor of going
cut to conquer territory for the mere pur-
pose Of possessing it, and, for my own part
L cannot quite reconcile it with the spirit
of our institutions that we should take
possession Of islands with military force
and compel the people of those islands to
accept such government as we choose to
give them without their consent or approv-
al. But il is plain enough that We cannot
or could not give the islands back to Spain
and the obligation rests with us to do tn
best we can under the circumstances"
DO You think there might be an extra
session called simply to consider the cur
rency question:" was asked.
The Need of an Extra Session
mo, 1 think not If there is an extra
session it VIII be forced by the unavoidable
failure of routine legislation during the .ses-
sion this winter.
For my own part, 1 would not object to
an extra session, but l do not think it will
be called if there is no other demand for it
except the desire to legiSlate on the cur
rency question. ] should like a discussion
of the currency question at as early a date
as possible. There can be no Legislation on
that subject at this session, because the
banking and currency committee is so ter
ribly divided. There are 50 many con-
ficting opinions in that committee that If
a bill were taken up and passed by the
House it would probably be so amended
as to be nothing more than patchwork
when it got through. and it would have no
chance t. get through the Senate. The
only result would be to expose differences
among the advocates of currency reform.
Currency Reform LegfsIati0n.
Il think that during the next Congress
there will be some satisfactory currency
legislation. There is no doubt in my mind
that the democrats want US TO legislate on
this subject, so that they can make it an
issue in $780, hoping to hold all their silver
people together by reason of it and to gain
some strength from the prejudice which
some people who do not believe in silver
have against the issuance of currency be-
ing transferred from the government The
people VINO hold to this prejudice have an
idea that it is an advantage to the govern
ment 10 issue the paper currency, whereas
a little figuring and thought would prove
TO them that II is a burden and that benefit
10 the country would result from the banks
issuing currency. l would not be surprised
II the issue in 1900 were made on this uues-
tlon. 1t will be campaign of education
for US, to overcome ignorant prejudice. hut
/ have no apprehension as to the result If
tne education is begun early enough for
the people to be able to learn the truth
For that reason l should like there to be
an academic discussion of the question at
the coming session, though there is no pos
slolllty of legislation. / should like TO see
the issue made and met and give the peo-
pie time to study the question before the
campaign of 1900 comes on