Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-07-28
CONGRESS- TASK.
Session Must Face Many
Problems.
Not Likely That the Colonial TanqIe witt Be
Strengthened Out.

| PH'"'"' says me Boston Transcript. II
Congress should meet tomorrow and re-
main IN session for twelve months. with
out sundays or holidays, 1t could not
half pass the laws or attend to. hair the
things which persons about Washington
are saying tho htxt congress must look
after without fail, The future of the
newly acquired territory is the impo.-
taht thihg. What Is to be done with IL
All. shall these tropical islands have 4
| Iiiiitdiy government or local government
| 49, ~ -AiiIcricdh prOteCtorate. or wha +.
hihu oi SdtfapS, proconSuls or civil en-
| EoES sha!l be sent out to them? Hereto.
| Tore, congress and The President. when.
| ever inns subject has bnch raised, nave
rnGn SiN'" H., a gratifying exhibition of the
| i'tihclple IN honor prrfrrring one an
! DINER, Commended by tho Holy Scrh-
| lures. hencNer President Mckinley has
| pTtn "Pproached on the pucation Of future
| plans lor th"sc Islands, he has Invariably
| declared that this was something far ~
| wisdom, OF Congress rs decide; mnst ~
me pr"oiens were plainlt Legislative. and
80 '"rg Weuih r9,l for settlement through
tht lesiAlatlN' htAntft uf me govern.
mrht' w hrn expansion congressman too
naFe peeh asked what they thought WI
lhe future, with equal warmth of conf
dtnCc they have declared thar they were
| rriA ing upon the judgment ana discretion
81 the President. II has been a rcpcti-
tIuh o. IN" pretty tale OF the Ilt;;c kin
who ana not worry ~ the storm because.
as she Explained 20 the highly alarmed
passengers: Her father wa al tn, helm
BON the administration Hnd Congress
SPEAK with the utmost combosure Of any
dlttCulllrs thAt may arise I'm our upyi,
acquired territory because. "Fathr. t. at
ne helm. This helm, by the WAY Is A.
me W hlte House IN the opinion If eX-
pahSionISt congressman. and under tn.
dome II the Capitol. IN the oplulou of tn
men VINO gather about tho cabinet table.
If the publ" rrdily expects Congress ~
~ next session 70 de much in the way III
strengthening OUT thu colonial ianglc. thr,-
are likely to be disappointed. Congress
moves slowly IN such matters. Tn. waN
Alaskan moods have remained unattended
10 nave constituted almost Il national dis.
grace. Hawaii, as a part Of the Amcri-
can republic, IS now an old story. an!
Yet II IS still being governed by the pro
Nlsiuntl ARRANGEMENT s-t NJ for tbs inter
va! until our laws could be eXtcndcd ID
rs people. An Hawaiian bill WIS pre-
scented in both branches of Congress at
lnc last - sSipn. having been framed ~
Z commission appointed rs ihe Prcsi-
dent with View 10 carrying out th,.
terms Of the resolution annoxinG thouc
Islands. | pom This commission members
"t both houses OF Congress hId served.
ana this might have been expected t1
give an impetus to tho hiIl which wa
presented. 1t failed. however. to pas
This Wa the comprehensive plan Of ter
flt"rial government. hNiaL inc utaIitict,-
lions Of electors and officers. and thcr,,
tract labor. navigation. ANA The liz.
which also failed to receive attention
! 2" crush for the passage If measures
demanded by home constituencies IL ",
great that few members of Congress; feel
mat they can afford ~ exhaust their NH
tfSN ana influence Upon affairs in Alask..
anu Samoa. ana Hawaii. and 50 these
thIilGS remain unattended to. ID WiIi
pIopdbfE be the same with Cuba Portp
RICO ana the Philippines. Congress Will
rely on the President as long As pos
H.
incoming OF 4 presidential campaign Will
nave a further depressing effect upon
congress. Ii will he argued that mas
much rs the expansion issue is sure tp
come up during the campaign. III party
platforms and elsewhere, it might be well
70 leaVe the working out VI colonial prob
lens until after our statesmen have seen
what the country appears 10 think - tn,
whoIe matter Then there il hardly u co.
Ionial question which can he touch 81
without inviting danger. There are par
Ties III interest on both Sides ~ the con
troversy OVER Hawaiian labor laws and
navigation laws. 50 long as these con
,I.r9NrTSlcs remain pending no harm ro-
litically can Toe done.
There iS also an unfortunate liability
mat mlhtary operations VIII continue t.
rnGr"ss the attention Of the public
through another Congress, ana until or
der Is restored in the Philippines tha
whole colonial problem may we'll await
consideration. Porto Rico ANA cuba. rs
be sure. are quiet and might b. put upon
peace basis, but Congress will prob
AMY prefer 10 wait until 1t can do the
Whoie thing at once. Whether he OF her
great general interests will fare any bet
ter than the so-called colonial interests
remains to be seen. There i the Near
rdSuan canal project. which has been b.,
fore the American people for half 4 cen
fury. The project was only STAYED off Ia
the last Congress because " obvious lack
of information. IT this lack shall finally
be supplied, ana the information received
Is OF s.lfiSflrtprN rbur14ft.r -
likely that the canal project will he given
q start. This is one Of the class of thing,
which it would be quite easy for Congress
to do upon the eve Of a presidential cam
paIGn. The votes Of the Pacific coast
states Will probably he won over to any
party which carried out Il project which
the coast had 50 long had seriously al
heart.
The coming session Of Congress might
20 much in the way Of gathering Up the
loose threads of former legislation. Much
Whlch alter years OF effort was finally
passed now needs considerable correc-
tlon as al Of its advocates knew at the
time or It's passage it would need. The
war revenue laws would bear "A littl,
trimming up. Certain Inequalities need
correction. Whether the Congress will
dare to open up this large general sub
Ject is somewhat doubtful for il IL
pretty unsafe thing to open the doors an I
invite all who desire Il change in taxation
To- come and make themselves heard
" iSl liit Jaw was passed It's managers
in the House persistently kept aloof from
anything savoring Of the tariff because
they did not care to reopen another tariff!
controversy. The Senate, little NOR
reckless of consequences. put a custom
house tax on tea. hut this was at a stage
in the formation of the bill when it could
be done without opening the doors. II
the same way, the coming Congress will
hesitate 10 touch the revenue law. e;an
though the commissioner Of internal rev
enue will place before Congress certain
recommendations, and experience VIII
nave already proved the practical neceS-
sity of some changes.
me immigration question is bound to
come up this winter, unless the advo.
Gates OF further restriction are prepared
to drop their case. They have a Presi-
dent strongly committed to restriction
and the incoming tide of immii,ra ton
had now becomeIvery strong, and o.
those classes usltilly regarded as least
desirable. This Isl a rather dangerous
question to touch near presidential
and tho course of event s sine.
the Spanish war have not added TO the |
argument for restriction. 1t will b. |
asked, what argument is there for shut |
ting out forty thousand Italians while |
taking in four million Asiatics? In re- |
gard To the census. some additional ,egis- |
lation will doubtless be necessary The |
question of scaling down Southern repre- |
Sentatlon in Congress to correspond to |
the percentage OF the total vote disfran-
chised by state law is likely to come up |
Something in the line Of antitrust iegis- |
hour which the party in power may try
TO cOmpIN Chairman Of