Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-07

Referring to the legislation in the early
stages of the war, and instancing the placing
| of $50, 900 as an emergency fund at the
disposal of the president, he said it would
| be matter OF deep regret If the same har-
| mony and absence of partisanship could not
be made at the close of the war and prep
aration Of the treaty of peace.
Ratification Will Restore Quiet.
Celebrating this view, he said no partisan
political advantage could be claimed by any
one in the ratification and held out the view
that solid support of the administration
would be of vast advantage to the admin
istration in the present crisis. He referred
: to the opening Of hostilities at Manila and
expressed the view that the ratification Of
the treaty would do much to prevent further
bloodshed and restore quiet. With the
! treaty unratifed the country would be in
| an anomalous position, but with it favorably
disposed of the arms of the government
would be strengthened by the assurance to
the world that the two branches of the
| treaty-making power of the country were
: united in policy and purpose.
LET u.s. he said, "ratify the treaty and
then settle our differences concerning the
question of expansion afterward. Those
questions can wait. but the emergency is
on the ratification question"
At o'clock the vice president interrupted
Senator Money. who was then speaking, to
announce that the hour had arrived for a
vote.
Vests Amendment.
But one amendment was offered-that pre-
pared by Senator Vest placing the Philip
pines on the same footing Cuba in the
treaty. In the temporary absence of Mr.
Vest II was presented by Mr. German. This
amendment was as follows:
In article i'll strike out the words "cedes
to the United States" and insert in lieu
thereof the words ''relinquish all claims of
sovereignty over and title to-
Add at the end of article II the following:
"The United States desiring that the people
OF the archipelago shall he enabled to es-
tablish form of free government suitable
to their condition and securing tho rights
OF life, liberty and property and the pres
ervaton of order and equal rights therein,
assume for the time being and to the end
aforesaid the control of the archipelago so
far as such control shall be needful for the
purposes above stated, and will provide that
the privileges accorded to Spain by articles
iv and OF this treaty shall be enjoyed.
The vote on this amendment stood 30 to
SO.
The voting on this amendment proceeded
quietly and was soon disposed Of. The votes
of senator's were closely scanned for point
ers on the approaching vote on the treaty
itself.
The only vote considered as at all signi-
ficant OF change favorable TO the treaty
was that OF Mr.. McEnery, who voted
against the amendment. Senators Jones OF
Nevada, McLaurin and Kennedy voted for
It. The vote was Immediately announced
and pages We're sent scurrying through the
corridors to announce to the few senators
who We're not in their seats that the culmi-
mating event had arrived.
McLauriu Declares His Approval.
The call proceeded quietly until the name
OF Senator McLaurin was announced, He
created the first stir of the voting by a
speech in explanation. This was the initial
break in the ranks Of the opposition. Mr.
McI-aurin made brief statement in expla-
nation of his change. giving the open hos
tilities In Manila the reason.
II am. as | have been from the first
he said. "irrevOcably opposed to the exten-
sion of our territory and should have voted
against ratification but for tha news that