The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-05
thereby the Maritime company and the

ical supplies for their consequent sick
ness. the employment in high places
of incompetent relatives, friends ana
acQuaintances, and the general muddle
of debt and deficit! BY their fruits ye
shall know them! The Panama people
must feel we'll satisfied to go ahead
with their ditch, since Algerism is to
be imposed upon it's rival.
The current talk in congress now is
that the senate and house will come to
some understanding in conference, the
main provisions of the house bill being
retained, and the Maritime Canal COM
pany being literally compensated for
what they have not done. There is
little sentiment in favor of giving the
Grace syndicate anything. STILL this
powerful combination of capital will
have to be reckoned with, if a canal is
constructed, for it possesses a conces-
sion which goes into effect in the fall
And so, too, will Nicaragua and Costa
Rica, whose fundamental laws pro-
hibit any sale of national territory.
On the whole, whether there be legis-
lation or not, it may be safely said that
it will be u long day before ships of
the largest tonnage" glide from Gray
town, on the Caribbean sea, to Breto,
on the Pacific ocean, via Lake Nicara-
qua; especially so If the present secre-
tary Of war is to be their pilot
CURRENCY REFORM.
In the last spasm of activity, cur
rency reform has popped up again.
The committee on coinage, weights and
measures, which was never known to
dc anything of any particular i'm
portance, has reported a currency bill.
Its purpose, so the report says, is ito
remove danger or, perhaps, the ap-
prehension OF danger" 1t must be said
that any such purpose is scarcely
achieved; for if the bill is considered
there is apt to be dangerous explo-
sion on the floor, of which Mr.. Walker,
of the banking and currency commit
tee, will be the active agent This gen.
tleman, always more or less irascible
is now chronically more so on account
OF the Grass judgment on the part Of
the people Of his district in not return
Ing him. At any time he would have
surely resented the interference of any
other committee with what naturally
j.,
what will not be his wrath under the
present Irritating circumstances? ITO
remove danger" it is highly probab BILE
that the steering committee will decide
that there is not time to waste in fruit
less currency discussion
ARMY. APPROPRIATION ACT.
The army appropriation bill is to be
taken up in the house Monday. It car
ries about $50, 900, 600, and is framed to
provide for 100000 men, notwithstand-
ing the prevalent hope that not more
than the minimum of $4,000 men will
be on the muster rolls What the dis
cretion of the president" on this ques-
ton will be, may be judged from the
reinforcements which are being hur-
ried to Manila
COOLING THEIR HEELS.
The Philippine commissioners. as
they call themselves, are cooling their
heels at the state department. and then
warming them at the Arlington. Moth
ing could be more absurd than the
course of the local papers towards these
gentlemen, whose only crime is a love
of country. One would think from the
outcry against them that they were
fed upon dynamite and drunk with as
sassination. There are those whose
national memories can go back a hun
dred and twenty-five years, who think
that the state department is too high
and mighty in its refusal to recognize
In any way these strangers. Even
Louis XVI was more complaisant and
1t is not recorded to his shame either.
STATUS OF SOLDIER MEMBERS
The Judiciary committee has settled
the status of house members holding
| civil or military office, holding that
only such members as hold military
office should forfeit their seats. though
the constitution makes no such distinct
| ton. 1t is not at all likely that the
house will act on the report, whatever
it may be, precedent prescribing an
ignoring of the subject as the proper
treatment. In supplemental brief.
Gen. Wheeler points out that in 1881
| when Mr.. Vallandigham raised a sim
liar question regarding the status Of
| members holding military commits
sions, the house tabled his resolution.
And the only case that was ever acted
| upon was that of Frank P. Blair.
where a resolution. which was not on
posed by himself or his friends. was
passed declaring that his seat was for
feited.
CANADIAN COMMISSION.
The Canadian joint high commission
has longer lease of life, Lord Her
shall having decided not to sail for
! E,urOpe on Feb & as he ho n inte,da5
| 1t is now going to hold night sessions.
| in the hopes of .expediting a finish
which is already long delayed. The
matter of the Alaskan boundary has
been considered by the subcommittee
having it in charge, Prof King an
pearing as an expert on the Canadian
| side, and Prof. Pritchard, of the coast
and ,geodetic survey, presenting the
American view. 1t is said that GER
| tain general principles will be estab-
lished which will render easy and prac-
tical the subsequent deIineation of a
| boundary line.
Against the demands of the Ameri-
can Newspaper association for free
pulp must now be set the protest of
| the American paper manufacturers in
| opposition to any reduction of the duty.
This complicates the question of re-
| duction of the lumber duty to the 81
| rate, and encourages those who have
| been claiming from the outset that
| no change would be made in the pre-
| sent tariff
IRON INDUSTRY.
The wonderful effect upon the iron
| industry which the opening and deveI-