The record-union., 1899-02-06
RATIFICATION
Of The TREATY.
The Test Vote Will Be Taken This
Afternoon.
lis Supporters Feel Confident Of The
Result.

the Vote-OpiniOns of Various
Senators Regarding the Outlook
and the Governments Duty
Since We Have Been Attacked
by the Natives.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-Whatever
may be the result of the vote which is
to be taken in the Senate tomorrow
on the ratification of the peace treaty
with Spain, the subject of the relations
of this country to the Philippine ISL
ands undoubtedly will be the uppermost
topic in the Senate during the week.
The hostile demonstration of the Fill
pino forces under Aguinaldo renders
this result inevitable. This occurrence
has had the effect of intensifying the
feeling in the Senate which had grown
out of the controversy over the treaty
and which was almost at fever heat.
On this account it will be very difficult
for the Senate to take up other sub
jects.
For the present all interest centers in
the outcome of the vote on the treaty.
This vote will mark the close of one of
the most memora BILE contests that ever
occurred in the Senate, and there is
profound and widespread interest in
the outcome. The vote is set for 3
o'clock and the balloting will begin
promptly at that hour.
The first vote will be on amendments.
OF these, the only important. one yet
offered is by Vest, placing the Philip
pines on the same basis as Cuba. The
vote will then be taken upon the treaty
itself
favorable vote on the part of two
thirds of the members of the Senate is
necessary to secure ratification Hence,
with a full membership of the Sen
ate, sixty votes will be necessary to Sc
cure a favorable result There are now
seven Senators absent from the city. OF
these, five, namely, Messrs- Proctor,
Stewart, Cannon, Wilson and Wetmore,
are favora BILE to the treaty and Messrs.
White and Turpie are opposed to it.
Senator Stewart is expected to arrive
in time to cast his vote and if this eX-
pectation should be realized, there will
be only six. absentees and it would be
very convenient to- arrange for pairs,
as two Senators in the affirmative will
necessarily be paired against one in the
negative. On this basis, the total vote
of the Senate would be eighty-fve, and
fifty-six would be necessary to ratify.
The friends of the treaty are counting
very confidently on securing these
votes. When the Senate adjourned
Saturday, they lacked only two votes
of having the necessary number and
the general opinion among the advo-
Gates of the treaty is that the HOSTILE
ties in Manila will have the effect of
bringing a sufficient number to their
standard to insure favorable result.
They say there are a half dozen SEN
ators who are not SO completely COM
mitted against the treaty as to pre-
vent their coming to the affirmative
side The opponents of the treaty do
not concede their defeat, but some of
them privately confess uneasineSs over
the result as the effect of the Manila
engagement. Every ballot as it is cast,
will be scrutinized with the utmost in
terest and very close tab will be kept
by many Senators on the progress or
the vote If it should become apparent
that the treaty is to be defeated some
friend of it will cast his vote in the
negative for the purpose of moving a
reconsiderati ton and this motion for
reconsideration will be made immedf-
ately after the negative result is known.
Whether however, the treaty should be
postponed for an extra session will de-
pend upon subsequent developments.
The proceedings in connection with
the vote will be entirely in executive
session, but if the unanimous agree
ment is observed, the first two hours
of the days session will be open to the
public. The only other important ques-
lions that are likely to come up after
the ratification of the treaty are appro
priation bills. Several of these are
ready for consideration, and of those,
the Indian bill will be the first to be-
taken up.
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts,
member of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, said: "On the proposition
presented, / am in favor of standing
by Dewey and Otis as against Agu1-
naldo. Our status in the Philippines
is that under the protocol we are IN
possession of the city, bay and harbor
of Manila. We are acting under truce
with Spain. Those people who have at
tackled the United States forces are, in
the eye of international law, still sub
iects of Spain and would be until the
treaty is ratified. They have violated
the truce and are our public enemies
and should be treated as such 1t was
known a week ago Agoncillo. the rep
resentative of Aguinaldo in Washing
ton, was ready to pack up and go
away. giving up everything, but the
action of those who have opposed the
treaty and the assurance he has re-
ceived from some one resulted in his
remaining and the encouragement
which the Filipinos have Received from
the United States has no doubt led to
the attack upon the American forces"
Senator German of Maryland, who IS
the leader and organizer of the oppo-
sition to the treaty in the Senate, said
as to the effect the conflict at Manila
would have upon the treaty
at will have no effect whatever.
What has occurred is the result of what
has been predicted by the opponents OF
the treaty all the time. The opponents
of the treaty said that trouble would
come if we handled those people with
out gloves and undertook to force our
selves upon them without their consent.
This battle can have no effect upon the
opponents of the treaty in any way.