The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1899-12-02
WASHINGTON LETTER.
rom our Regular Correspondent.

President Mckinley is highly pleased
| with the reports of Gen. Otis on the
success of the campaign in the Philip
| pines showing Aguinaldo to be fugl-
tive and members OF his family and Of
his sO-called government, prisoners. 1t
looks now as though Gen. Grosyenor's
prediction, made few weeks ago, that
the Filipino instruction would be over
by the time Congress assembled, would
prove correct. In fact, Secretary Root
regards the insurrection as already
over, so far as organized fighting is con-
J will spike the guns Of many OF the ants
! in Congress, and they will have to hunt
new subject for faultfindiag.
The Senate Finance Committee, or
committee, held a meeting today to
consider the financial bill prepared by
the Republican House Caucus Com
mittee So far, the Senators have not
agreed to accept the bill as drawn by
the House Committee, of which Col.
/ Henderson is Chairman, as a whole, al
! though agreeing to the principal points
! therein, and the House Committee has
declined to drop their bill and adopt
one prepared by the Senators. Present
plans for handling this bill in the
House do not contemplate its being re-
| ferred to a committee. In fact, it may
be passed by the House before the
Committees are announced, although
| Col. Henderson has said that he would
announce the committees before the
/ holiday recess. The caucus committee
will report the bill to the republican
caucus that will be held at the end of
! this week, to nominate officers of the
| House, and it is expected that the eau
| Gus will endorse the bill, and adopt 4
| resolution in favor of its being reported
| directly to the House, as q caucus meas
ure and adopted.
| The republican leaders of the House,
after carefully considering the subject,
| have practically decided that it will not
! be advisable to make any radical chang
! es in the House rules, which have been
| very nearly the same during the last
| two congresses. There are some pro-
! posed changes which are favored by a
considerable number of republican
members and which might have been
made had the republican majority in
the House been little larger. AS it
will be, with the republican majority
only in the teens, the Reed rules are
considered necessary to insure repub
| lican control of House legislation.
The expulsion of Representatives. elect
Roberts. of Utah. from the House,
which is probable anyway. will become
an absolute certainty if the Mormons
continue such tactics as making boasts
| that thay have secured pledges from a
sufficient number of members to prevent
| the adoption by the necessary two
thirds vote of resolution for his eX
pulsion. The only possible show that
Roberts has to retain his seat lies in
his ability to convince members that
the Mormons are not responsible for
his nomination and election, and not
interested in having him keep his seat,
and it may be imagined what that show
will be when this Mormon boast be-
comes generally known among mem
| bers. \ number of them have already
| expressed the opinion that such talk,
of itself, WAS valid ground for the ex
pulsion OF Roberts. 4 plan of keeping
| Roberts out OF the House has been sug-
| gested, and if the Clerk of the House,
who presides until the Speaker is elect
| ed, agrees to it, only a ma jOrity vote
would be required. This plan is to
raise an objection when he presents
| himself to be sworn it. If the clerk
entertains this objection, the House
| could either sustain the objection, or
| refer the mater to a committee for in
| vestgation and report. In either case
a majority vote would keep Roberts
! out. There are, however, serious ob-
jectons to tins plan, and. it may not be
! adopted.
Represe ntatiy elect Clayton, of New
/ York, who was elected to congress as a
democrat, has been expressing opn-
ions which show that he isn't the same
kind of democrat that Mr.. Bryan is
MIR. Clayton says he favors gold stand
ard Legislation by this congress, and
will vote for the bill. He also announc-
es that he favors President McKinley's
foreign policy, the construction of an
lsthmlan Canal, and the holding Of the
! Philippines for all time, in order to be
sure OF getting our share OF the I'M
Incnse trade of southeastern Asia. As
the national parties ale today aligned
upon important Issues, Mr.. Clayton is a
! pretty good republican, even ii he does
| call himself q democrat.
! Secretary Roots annual report, inst
| completed, takes strong ground III favor
of the immediate appointment OF civil
governors for Porto Rico and Cuba, and
| it is regarded as probable that the APP
! pointments Will be made before the
! first OF the year, although in the case OF
Cuba, there is much opposition. Presi-
] dent Mckinley has the matter under
! conside .atiou, and it was TO get the
! benefit of the advice of Gen Leonard
| Wood, in whose Judgment he has much
/ confidence, that he ordered Gen. Wood
TO " ashingtou, where he has Just ar
! rived.