The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-08-02
AN EXTRA
SESSION
Of Congress Will Be Called
-A>oy the President
AS SOON AS SPAIN YIELDS.
There Is Need For Special Army
Legislation. !:
AS SOON AS SPAIN YIELDS.
REGARDING PEACE PROPOSALS

Not Considered Important by the Admin
istration-Our Government Not Yet Sat.
isied What Sound Policy Would Dictate
in Settling the Philippines Question, and
the Proposed Commission Will Bo Prac
tically Peace Commission.
Washington. Aug. 2.-The Post today
says: President Mckinley will call
an extra session of both houses of con-
gress as soon as Spain ACCEPTS the
terms Of peace offered by the United
States. 1t has always been understood
that the senate would be convo ned as
soon as the treaty of peace was ready
to be acted upon by that body The
attention Of the president has been
called. however. to situation which
d makes the assembling of the entire
congress necessary. This situation can
be explained in few words.
Under the law which provides for the
raising of the volunteer army that
army goes out of existence as soon as
the war ceases. When this law was
framed 1t was not for a moment
supposed that, after the war had end: d,
there would be any necessity of keeping
the army intact. The developments of
the war make 1t very evident that In
stead of sending the army back to
civil life. fully 100000 will continue to
be needed. 1t is the present intention
to distribute no less than $4,000 soldiers
HhrnIIphnuf IN, hA
Philippines and probably 10000 In Porto
Rico
Under the law. as soon as hostilites
CEASE the volunteer army Is disbanded,
and the regular army goes back to its
peace footing, thus leaving only $1,000
men in the service. This is a total far
tcO small for the work that will be re-
Qutred. Consequently the aid of con-
gress will be needed to frame new laws
which will keep an adequate army for
garrison purposes. In addition to this,
laws must be passed to meet the new
requirements of government in the
Philippines and Porto Rico.
The president is naturally averse to
calling congress together during the
hot weather and 1t may be decided
ate has ratified the treaty of peace. In
This case congress will not meet until
the first or middle of September, as it
Will take at least month or six weeks
for the full details of the treaty to be
discussed and framed. The present
outlook Is, however, for an extra ses-
Bion at asmuch earlier period. in the
hope that its work can be concluded
before. the fall campaign has reached
Its height.
All eyes in official life were turned
yesterday toward Madrid. for it was
fsziized that UPON the Spanish cabi-
net depended tic rest toration of peace.
1t had been announced here in quar-
ter that removed the information from
any question Of its accuracy that the
decision of the Spanish government
was not to be submitted before today
At the earliest. In the absence of any
new phase in the negotiations here
speculation naturally turned back
ward toward the remarkable meeting
al the White House on Saturday, AMI
great interest was manifested in every
particular respecting that event. A
disposition was shown in some quar-
fers to question the authority of the
French ambassador to act as he did
representing Spain. But it can again
be stated that, regardless Of any tech
nical point, such as the absence of
eigned. sealed and delivered mail Gre
dentials, which Of course could not
reach here in the little time at hand,
that the president regarded M. Cam
bon as fully qualified to act as a rep
resentative Of the Spanish government
In the negotiations, subject. of course
rs are almost all ministers or am
bassadors in these days, to the refer
ence of the work accomplished by them
to the government they represent for
final approval.
H. Cambon made 1t so clear that he
had been fully instructed on every
point likely to rise in the negotiations
that the president was satisfied that by
accepting him as the representative of
Spain in this matter a vast saving of
time would be effected. and a point of
the most Importance that the nego-
tiations would be technically conducted
without the interposition of any neu-
tral government. However any ques-
tion that might have arisen as to the
powers of the French ambassador was
set at rest by the short, guarded and
concise statement issued yesterday
from the embassy itself.
Then discussion turned on the nature |
of the change made at the instance Of |
n. Cambon in the list of American de- |
mands. 1t was COntended in some
quarters that no change had been made, |
In others that an important modiffca-
uon had developed. As matter of !
fact, as to the Importance of this |
change there Is a difference Of opinion |
between the parties, the administration |
looking upon it as inconsequentlal |
while M. Cambon attaches Importance
to It. However this may be. as the
believes that the change
Is not essential, and that 1t certainly |
does not affect the principle of the
it might be well to recap
ltulate briefly just what he demands
Of the United States were. AS to Gu |,
ba. 1t Is demanded that Spain is to re-
lease her government possession and
control. 1t will be noticed that moth
Ing is said of Cuban independence, and
that the acceptance Of this position
leaves the United States free to deal
with the island as 1t may deem best.
Porto Rico, with the small islands ad-
Dacent and embraced within her juris.