Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-02-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular CoTespondent.)
WASHINGTON, Feb. goth, 1S9!


President Mckinley will take no
part in the contest which is now
on in the Senate, and which will
determine whether an extra session
Of Congress will have to be called.
There will be no necessity for an
extra session, unless the Democrats
filibuster to prevent a vote being
taken on the Hull army bill. If
they are willing to take that
responsibility, they can do SO. An
attempt is being made to bring
about a compromise that will let
the Democrats who are opposing
the Hull bill, down easy, but Re-
publicans are not concerned in it,
and Senator Hawley, chairman of
the militOry committee, who has
charge of the Hull bill, says he
will accept no compromise; that it
shall be the Hull bill or nothing.
The Military Court of Inquiry,
which was somewhat delayed in
getting together, by last weeks
snow blockade, devoted its first
session to mapping out a programme
and arranging the list of witnesses
"a lengthy one-Who will be called
but this week it will begin to take
testimony and the sittings will be
public. The court may sit for
several weeks, and may visit other
places, as its instructions are to go
to the root of the whole business
and settle for good and all whether
Gen. Miles made his charges that
bad meat was issued to the army
on good evidence or whether he
was imposed upon by those who
sought to use him and his high
Office to create q scandal. The
Court will not seek to vindicate
anybody or 10 incriminate anybody;
only to get at the truth, and to
give it to the President and the
people. Gen. Miles declined to be
sworn when he appeared before the
War Investigating Commission,
but he viii be sworn by this court.
Hon. Ethan Allan Hitchcock has
relieved Mr.. Bliss and assumed the
duties OF the Secretary of the In
terror. Secretary Hitchcock is no
stranger in Washington. and there
Is no doubt of his making d success
OF administering the affairs of that
great department of the Govern
nent.
Senators are determined that
they shall not be charged with
responsibility for the failure of
Nicaragua Canal legislation at
this session. The House having.
by majority vote, sustained the
ruling of it's presiding officer, that
the Canal bill was out of order as
an amendment to the Sundry Civil
bill, and it being certain that no
time can be secured in the House
for consideration of the Hepburn
Canal bill, which was made sub
stitute for the Morgan bill and re-
ported to the House, the Senators
propose giving the House another
opportunity to act upon Canal leg
islation, that cannot be blocked by
points OF order, by putting the
Hepburn bill in the River and
Harbor bill. The bill so amended
has already been reported to the
Senate, and there is no doubt that
it will pass that body.
The Naval Reorganization bill
will become a law in Il few days.
1t is now in conference, having
been slightly amended before pass
ing the Senate, but it will go to
the President shortly.
Senator Frye has offered an
amendment to the Sundry Civil
bill, authorizing the payment of
500, 600 a year for twenty years,
by the Government for the use of a
Pacific cable, from some point in
the United States to China and
Japan, via Hawaii, Guam and the
Philippines, provided that the cable
be in working order to Honolulu
by July |, 1900, and to Manila by
Jan. |, 1901, and that messages of
Jlt I. >. government De carried
free forever.
No one was surprised, after the
Canal bill was ruled off the Sundry
Civil bill on a point of order to see
the item appropriating $50, 900
TO carry out the terms of the Treaty
Of Peace with Spain go the same
road. But the money viii be paid
Representative Cannon has intro