Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-02-15
TREATY WAS RATIFIED
Vote Of One Democrat was What Saved
the Day.
Hale and HOar The Only Republicans Against II
Opponents Hopeful Up 10 the
Last Moment.

says: POLITICAL history Will record
the fact that the ratification by the
United States Senate of the treaty
of peace with Spain, by vote of
81 to 81, or 81 to 20, counting the
pairs, marked the close of one of
the most bitterly fought contests
since that honorable body came
into existence.
The result was as close as the
fight was desperate. Thirty one
votes were necessary to defeat the
treaty, and all but two of them
were recorded. Ten minutes be.
fore the result was announced il
was still an open question which
side would win, and even now
after the smoke of battle has al.
most cleared away, the men who
rallied about the standard of their
heretofore successful leader, are
still dazed with surprise, and even
the victorious advocates of ratifi-
cation are yet inclined to believe
that it is all too good to be true.
1t is literally the truth to say
that when German, the astute po-
litlcal manager, who has led his
party in debate to so many politi-
cal victories in the past, made the
closing speech in open session to-
day just before the fateful vote
was taken, he spoke with all the
confidence and seif-satisfaction of
a triumphant champion, as, indeed,
he and his faithful followers then
thought be was Germans cause
was already lost when he defend
ed himself from the widespread
charge Of opposing the treaty to
further his soaring political ambi-
tons, but he did not know it. He
sat down amid an outburst of ap-
plause and acclaim.
One hour later the tactical man.
ager Of the other side, clear. head
ed, alert, resourceful Aldrich of
Rhode Island looked across the
chamber, and German, who had
just heard the verdict announced
in the form OF a negative vote of
the junior Senator from Louisi-
ana, caught his eye. Both smiled.
One with the good natured
triumph, the other with charact
eristic expression which might in
dictate anything except sullenness
or hatred.
All battles leave their scars and
that of today is no exception. But
the wounds soon pass away in the
rush of events, and it will not be
long ere peace will be restored be-
tween nearly all of the Senators,
however, from whom many expla
nations and many apologies will
be asked before they are restored,
if they ever shall be, to their
former standing in the ranks of
their party colleagues. These
Senators are Hale OF Maine and
Hoar of Massachusetts, the only
who voted against
the ratification of the peace treaty.
The latter is spoken Of with some
small degree Of tolerance because
81. his age and of the belief that he
acted altogether from his convic-
lions. Hale, however, must sit
long upon the stool of repentance.
He voted "no" today at a moment
when it was thought his vote was
needed to ratify the treaty. Nc
Emery of Louisiana, McLaurin of
South Carolina and Jones of Ne
'ala, the men whose votes saved
he treaty, had not been reached
n the roll call when Hale res
bonded No"
When the Senate went into ex-
cutive session after Chairman
Davis, fearful of making tactical
'lunder, refused five minutes to
Nolcott to reply to German, the
opponents OF the treaty were su-
'remely confident of success, and
he leaders on the Republican
ide, with the probable exception
Il Aldrich, admitted that the treaty
vas beaten.
In a moment another of the
lightning changes which have
aarked the progress of the peace
reaty to a vote took place, and
ope quickly became a certainty
n the Republican side of the
hamber. JOY lit up the faces of
he treaty adherents and its oppo-
ents listened crestfallen to the
violence that they had lost.
THE VOTE.