The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-02-07
HOW IT WAS RATIFIED.


Washington. Feb. G.-(Special.) -
The ratification of the peace treaty
brought an end to one of the most eX
citing contests that has been waged in
Congressional circles in years. When
the announcement was made that the
vote in executive session had been more
than the necessary twO-thirds, there
were many demonstrations Of applause
in the crowded corridors of the Senate
end of the capitol, and hearty cOngrat-
ulations were hcaped particularly upon
the men whose votes had made rati-
ficatiOn possible.
The three votes which insured ratif-
cation, that is the three which were
counted in the doubtful lists. were Sen
ators McEnery, McLaurin and Jones, of
Nevada Jones voted for the treaty,
but only after il was shown him that
ratification was certain without his vote
McEnery and McLaurin were influenced
by the outbreak of the Filipinos and
their attack upon the American army.
They explained that i'm view of these
complications and the certainty that
other and more serious complications
would follow if there was a continuance
of the policy of uncertainty and delay
ratification.
Tomorrow the McEnery resolution
will he adopted by large vote. They
go as far as most of the Senate be-
lieves should be gone mt this time, when
the people of the Philippines are up in
arms against our army. These resOlu-
tons are Indicative somewhat of the
policy of the Administration, for they
were introduced after consultation with
the President and will have the sun
port of most of the leading Admins
tration Senators. The vote for ratifica-
ton cannot be taken as in any sense a
test vote on the territorial question. All
that is to be fought out in the future.
The Democrats who supported the treaty
made it clear in all their speeches that
they did nOticonsider the broader question
of the final disposition of the Philippines
in any way involved in the vote on the
treaty and they are all as strong OBJ
ponents of permanent retention of those
islands as anybody else in the Senate
or out of it.
One effect of this vote will probably
he that there viii be no extra session
of Congress as would have been inevi-
table had the treaty failed. Everybody
seems glad that the end to the fight
has come and most people here are glad
that it came out as it did.
PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE.
Washington. Feb. 6.-This was sus-
pension day in the House and quite a
number of bills were passed, several of
them of Importance. The census bill,
prepared by the House Committee went
through by vote of 147 to ~. The bill
differs in several essential features from
the Senate bill. particularly in the fact
that it makes the Census Bureau entire
lyl independent of any existing depart
ment. and Chairman Hopkins stated on
the floor the expectation was that the
Senate would accept the House Bill.
A bill was passed to extend the anti
contract labor laws over the Hawaiian
Islands. and another bill was passed to
refer Al war claims for stores and sup
plies to the Court of Claims. They are
the claims reported from the War Claims
COMMITTEES, and aggregate $4,000. \
bill was passed to create a national mill
tary park on the site of the battle of
Nicksburg; also to grant $4,000 acres of
land in Alabama to the Girls Industrial
school of that State.
An attempt was made to pass the bill
providing for women nurses in the army
but the necessary two-thirds vote neces-
sary to take the bill up were not secured
At 5:15 o'clock p. M, the House adj
journed