The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-03
GENERAL POLITICAL
NOTES AND GOSSIP.

/ .
An Extra Session Forecast.--"I al
willing to wager case Of champagne that
there will be an extra session of the Fifty
sixth Congress called before March 10, 81
said James X. Davies, of New York, at the
Arlington Hotel yesterday. Mr. Davies is
an experienced observer. He has been
| coming regularly to Washington during
sessions of Congress for the past twenty
five or thirty years. Il am aware of the
! fact" he added, that the drift of the talk
at present is all the other way, and that
| most of my friends will rhini, that l am
! 4 fool TO make the offer do. but neverthe
| less the offer stands just the same, so if
you happen to hear of any man with sport
ing blood in his veins who wants TO bet
against my proposition send him to me. 1t
| is perfectly plain to my mind that an extra
| session cannot be avoided. More time is
going 10 be consumed in the consideration
of the peace treaty than most people
realize 1t is not going through so
smoothly rs certain gentlemen seem to
! think. Just think, there are less than
| eight weeks remaining to the present SEES
| sion. How in thunder do you expect Con-
| gress to pass all of the regular appropria-
/ ton bills, ratify the peace treaty, pass the
| Nicaragua Canal bill, the army reoYg nj
cation bill, fix up scheme of government
for Hawaii and provide for the taking of
the twelfth census, rot to mention half 4
dozen other matters of almost equal i'm
| portance. in less than eight weeks time
l tell you that il cannot be done. l would
like to bet half a dozen cases OF cham
| payne on an extra session of the Fifty
sixth Congress next Spring
Mr.. Mckinley and the Paris Tren-
ty.-It has been assumed in certain quar-
tiers that when the President sends the re-
Gently negotiated treaty of peace to the
Senate tomorrow that he would improve
the opportunity to express his views on the
general subject of expansion and not leave
the shaping and formulating of our future
! foreign policy TO 1.-THE wisdom and careful
consideration of the Congress" The indi-
cations, however, point to coloriess and
rather non-eommittal message from the
| Chief Magistrate when the treaty is trans
mitted to the Senate. About all the Presi-
dent will dwell upon, it is said will be the
| Importance of prompt action on the treaty.
Regarding the question of our holding the
Philippines and the other new possessions
acquired from Spain, Mr.. Mckinley, it Is
understood, will say practically nothing OF
any real significance. He will leave his
position TO be inferred. The friends of ex-
pansion can believe that he is with them,
while the undergraduates can claim that
he has not actually committed himself upon
the subject, and is therefore possible con-
vert to their side.
Mr. Mckinley reminds me- said Ten
nessee representative yesterday, 'of a man
who used to reside in my town who was
notorious for refusing to commit himself
on any subject, no matter what it might
be. One day he was present at a public
meeting at which very animated debate
was going on, over the levying of an addi-
tional tax for a public improvement. The
village was about evenly divided on the
subject. Finally, after nearly everyone
present had spoken and expressed his SEN
timents either for or against imposing the
tax, some one called out that Colonel Jones
(that was the name of the NAM had not
spoken. Colonel Jones was promptly dragged
upon the platform. 'Hurrah, yelled the
crowd; now we have got Colonel Jones at
last where he viii be compelled to declare
himself. Speak out, Jonesy. old boy. they
shouted and tell us where you stand on
/ this subject Strange to relate, Colonel
Jones did not appear to be in the least
embarrassed. He smiled blandly and ad-
vancing TO the edge OF the platform began
a speech which made a deep impression
and gentlemen, he said. I have been very
much annoyed for some time to observe
that the impression seems to prevail in this
community that | am afraid to express a
positive opinion upon any subject of i'm
portance. My friends you have been doing
me a very great injustice. am always
willing 10 express my opinions whenever
they may be called for. Now as to this tax
my position has been perfectly clear from
the day that the controversy started. 1t is
this: If the tax is right l am for It, and if
it is wrong then am against it. l hope
my friends, that there Will be no further
insinuations against my character for my
failure to speak out in positive terms re-
garding public questions. And, of course
there never was
Friends of the President defend his non
committal policy by saying that if he came
out fatfooted for expansion that it might
delay. if not endanger, the ratification Of
the treaty. Mr.. Mckinley is an expansion
list. they say. and he realizes that the coun-
try is so thoroughly committed to that pol
icy that it could not back out of it now if
it wished to do so. By postponing the dis
cussion of expansion until after the ratifi-
cation of the treaty he is. they believe, taxi
ing the wisest course, Expansion is an ac-
complished fact from the Presidents stand
point, but the ratification of the treaty is
not hence the desire of Mr. Mckinley to
eliminate the discussion of the expansion
policy from the consideration OF the treaty
as much as possible.
The Nicaragua Canal Fight.-It is
gradually dawning on a good many indi-
viduals that it is not going to be an easy
matter by any means to get the pending
Nicaragua Canal bill through Congress at
the present session. The members of the
Grace syndicate, which obtained the latest
concession from Nicaragua TO build the ca
nal, are fighting the Morgan bill or the
passage of any legislation by Congress at
the present session. Within the last few
days every member of the Senate has re-
ceived through the mails marked copy of
a newspaper containing an elaborate state
ment by Mr.. E. +. Cragin, who is one OF
the active members of the Grace syndicate
attacking the Maritime Canal Company
and the Morgan bill. The assertion is
made in this statement that the concession