The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1899-02-23
DODGE AGAIN
VIII Mckinley on tho FL
nancial Question.
A STRADDLE
viii be the Easiest Explained Away
In 1900.-0ther News From Con-
gress.

VIII De tne EasleSt EXpihineu Away
In 1900. Other News From Con-
gress.
WASHINGTON, Feb. %, 1899.-Re-
preventative Grosvenor, Of Ohio,
chairman OF the republican caucus,
this week named the committee of
members of the next House who are,
In obedience to caucus direction, to
prepare a financial bill to be present
ed to caucus of the republicans Of
the House, In the next Congress.
The make up Of the committee
leaves no doubt that the bill 1t will
prepare will be whatever sort of bill
Mr.. Mckinley may wish to have
jammed through. One Of the shrewd-
est men in political life said Of the
probable work Of this COMMITTEES:
my prediction is that the financial
bill that is likely to become law at
the first session Of the next Congress,
whether that be an extra session
closely following the close of the
present session or the regular session
next winter, will not meet the wishes
Of Secretary Gage and other ex-
treme single gold standard advo-
Gates. Next year will be Presiden-
tial year and Mr.. Mckinley is a
very willy politician. In my opinion
"he will try to make that financial
bill dodger, and he will have plenty
of assistance from the. members Of
the House who have . strong silver
element in their districts" The
average democrat in Congress would
much prefer that Secretary Cages
ideas be followed in the financial
bill, because that would leave no
room for dodging the issue in the
next campaign. But 1t Is always the
policy Of the politicians to prevent a
square stand up fight on plain
issue, II there is any possible way in
which it can be prevented.
Quite as sneaky as its attacks upon
Gen. Miles is the attempt Of the ad-
ministration tosnake 1t appear that
democratic Senators are trying to
force an extra session of Congress
by opposing legislation for a large
standing army. 1t is the duty of
democratic Senators to act in accord
with the wishes of their constituents,
and in resisting by every constitu-
tional and parliamentary method
known to them such vicious legisla-
ticn they will be doing exactly that.
They have nothing to do with call
ing an extra session of Congress !;
that is strictly a Presidential pre-
rogative.
A feature Of the red hot debate in
the House on the Offering of the
Hepburn Nicaragua Canal bill as an
amendment to the Sundry Civil bill
was a short but strong speech in
favor of the bill by Representative
Bailey, of Texas, who said he sup
ported the amendment because 1t
provided for direct ownership of the
Canal by the government, instead of
a partnership with a private corpor-
alton. Some bitter personalities
were thrown around during the de-
bate. Gear Reod and his henchmen
in the House opposed the amend
ment, and most Of the democrats
favored it. 1t was ruled out on a
point Of order, and the House und or
the lash Of Gear Reed sustained the
ruling, by vote of 127 to 100.
The disposition of the McEnery
joint resolution, which was this week
adopted by the Senate, by a vote of
26 to %, by the House committee on
Foreign Affairs, will speedily show
whether the resolution was adopted
as part of the game by which a
sufficient number of votes were
obtained to ratify the treaty, or not.
The vote in the Senate indicates
that it was. The Bacon substitute,
which was defeated by the vote of
the Vice President, the Senate being
a tie, really had meaning; it pledg-
ed the U. 8. to treat the Philippines
just as it is already pledged to treat
Cuba. The Philippines could be
held forever and a day, as the say
ing is, under the McEnery resolu.
tion, II it were a law.
Representative Lewis, OF Wash
ington, in the course of a short run
ming debate on the item in the Sun
dry Civil bill which appropriates
$20,0OO,OOO to pay Spain for the
Philippines, pointed out the inn
portant and interesting historical
fact that Spain ia the only country
on earth that has ever repudiated Its
treaty obligations. In 1852, after the
English had taken tho Philippines
Spain made n treaty In which II
agreed to pay England an amount
equivalent to slO,OOO,OOO to regain
possession of the islands. England
gave up the islands under that
treaty; but Spain has never paid q
cent of the money promised.
Ex-Secretary John Sherman didn't
mince words when he spoke about
the attempt Of the War Commission q
report to whitewash Alger and hii
gang and to blacken Gen. Miles
Mr.. Sherman said: "If Mckinley