Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-11-13
tons will be referred to the proper

At the very outset nice question
will arise and to a certain extent will
indicate the sentiment of congress
regarding the new territory. The
/ anti expansionists both in the house
| and in the senate will want all the
bills relating to the colonies sent to
| the committees on foreign affairs,
while those who favor holding per-
manently the territory we acquired
as result of the war with Spain will
want them sent to the committees on
| territories, which will more or less
fix the status of these possessions at
the out set. While all such bills will
be referred to committees at once
this will not prevent the discussion
in both houses Of the question of the
permanent retention Of the Philip
pines, and in all debates that ques
ton is certain to be pushed to the
front by the opposition. But as
there can be no legislation until the
| committees report the debates on the
subject will be purely of a political
nature. There will be little to do
with reference to Cuba, and there
| fore there will be little or no debate
on that subject. Congress will be
urged to dispose of the matters re-
lating to Hawaii and Porto Rico at
| once, as the needs of these islands
make it imperative that this should
be done speedily. The best opinion
is that congress will frame laws for
! the Philippines at the same time laws
are enacted for Porto Rico and Hawaii.
This will bring on a heated debate,
! and doubtless protracted one in the
| the senate, where the opposition,
under the present rules governing
that august body, can consume as
much time as it desires.
AS all bills not passed die with the
congress in which they originated,
every bill or measure, even lift should
have been passed in one branch of
the last congress, will have to be
passed by both the house and the
senate in the fifty sixth. The fight
over the anti scalping bill will have
| to be made over again, and the fate
| OF C00 measure Is DOUBTFUL
Another question which will ex cite
little interest in the public mind, but
which will consume a great deal of
| time in debate, is that relating to the
various reciprocity treaties. These
treaties are of the utmost Importance
and each paragraph will be thoroughly
discussed, though little politics will
enter into the discussion.
There will be tremendous fight
over the proposed subsidy ship
ping bill. Party lines will be
drawn closely on this measure, and
the debate promises to be heated and
cutting. The democrats will use
every legislative device in their
power to defeat it, and every politi
cal point possible to be be made will
be sharply watched for touchdown.
Senator Morgan of Alabama has
served notice on the country at
large that the senate will push the
Nicaragua canal bill again at the
coming session, and vigorous effort
will be made to authorize its con-
struction.
Another bitter fight will warm up
the halls of congress when the effort
is made to increase the standing army
to 100, 900 men or more. The pres
ent army is merely temporary one
and ceases to exist in July, 1901, I'M
less congress passes a bill making it
permanent, but the opposition was
able to force congress to accept a
compromise, which resulted in what |
is known as the provisional army.
There will also be an effort made |
to increase the navy, and consider
able time will be consumed over the |
proposition to make more liberal |
provisions in the matter of pensions. |
This latter question will come up and |
politics will figure very largely in the |
debates. The Grand Army will ask
that certain restrictions be removed I
and the laws be made more plain on |
the general subject of pensions.
Much thought and attention will be
given to the subject of financial legis-
lation. The two committees APP
pointed by the house and the senate
of the last congress to agree upon
some currency reform bill have been
at work all summer. While the de-
tails of the measure have not yet
been made public, it is known that
the committees nave not yet agreed
upon a bill which will declare in open
terms that gold is the legal standard.
It provides for the redemption of
greenbacks in gold and breaks the