The Press., 1898-01-20
Washington Letter.
Washington, Nov. %, 1897.

Wolcott to acknowledge absolute failure and to admit that there was no use in hoping for international bimetallsm, be- cause i. was thing impossible of accom- plishment. He did neither. He says the work of the commission was not an absolute failure; that 1t isn't over, and that he expects 1t to have something sub- stantial to show for It's next effort. And he intimated quite plainly that President Mckinley shared his views, in part, if not entirely That is what those who are trying to force gold legislation at this session of congress dislike the most. Hints have been dropped that President Mckinley did not regard the need for gold Legislation at this session as being so urgent as Secretary Gage and the re- presentatives of the monetary conference, who have been much in evidence by reason of their statements before the house committee on banking and currency in favor of their bill, have made 1t ap- parent that they did.
 Speaker Reed is said to have become convinced sometime ago of the impossi- bility of important currency legislation at this session, and to have said that it would be an impossibility to construct bill that six of the leading members of his party in the house would agree upon in all its details. He Is also credited with having advised that financial agitat tion be dropped as far as possible for the re- mainder of the session. That is much easier said than done. now that the ex- tremes of all the parties have get under a full head of steam. There is bound to be financial talk.
 Some day it Is likely that presidents of the U. s. will be inaugurated on April 30 tn, when there Is much more probability of good weather than there is on March 4th. For some years past, joint resolu- tion proposing the amendment to the con- stitution necessary to the change has been offered In each congress, and every time inauguration day is cold, wet and dis agreeable as so many of them have been, the sentiment In favor of the change in- creases. It is bound, sooner or later, to become strong enough to win. Senator Hoar has offered the usual joint resolu- tion. It provides for the extension of the term of President Mckinley and of the extension of the term of such sena- tors as would otherwise expire on March 4th, 1901 to the same date. The change would add nearly two months to the short session of congress, which has more than once been too short to transact the neces- sary business.
 The house had the usual spat over the appropriation for the free distribution of seeds by the department of agriculture, with the usual result the making of the appropriation.
 President Mckinley has asked con- gress to appropriate $473, 151 ,26 to pay the damages awarded the owners of seal ing vessels under the British flag, by the arbitration commission, as compensation for the seizure of their vessels by this government, ,and congress probably will do 1t although it will not be done with good | will.
 The A. P. A. not only failed to prevent the nomination of Attorney General Me- Kenna to be a justice of the supreme court, being favorably reported, but it got knock downs on the floor of the senate from both friends and opponents of Judge McKenna, for trying to inject a religious issue into the matter. At the request of Senator Allen, the senate postponed a vote on this nomination until Friday of this week, to enable him to investigate some of the charges filed, but confirmation may be regarded as certain. The A. P. A. has upon more than one occasion controlled the house, but 1t has never won even a skirmish in It's numerous attempts to con- trol the senate.
 More than one advocate of the annexa- ton of Hawaii regrets that Mir. Dole, the president of the republic of Hawaii, did not stay at home while the annexation treaty was under discussion by the senate, instead of rushing to Washington, where his presence cannot possibly do any good and where it may do harm The result of the debate on the treaty, as far as it has gone is not as encouraging as the friends of the treaty expected 1t to be They are still short of the number of votes to ratify the treaty, but the op- ponents are also short of the number needed to defeat it. The fate of the treaty is in the hands of the five or six senators who have announced themselves to be In doubt and to be open to convict lon either way.
 The fusion which supported MT. Bryan Is to be continued in the congressional campaign of this year, to the full extent of the power and influence of the national committees of the democrats, the popu- lists, and the silver republicans. The | chairmen of those committees have sign ed joint address to the voters of all the three parties, urging them to unite upon one candidate in every congressional dis triet