Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-25
THE PHILIPPINE ES
Presidents Message VIII Go Into
the Matter.
CONTEST IN CONGRESS- EXPECTED
Many Resolutions Now Being Pre-.
pared for Introduction.
ADMINISTRATION CONFID ENT

The President will probably go fully into
the Philippine question in his message to
Congress on it's assembling in December.
The unsettled situation with respect to
these islands had suS Sgested the propriety
of a delay in calling the matter again to
the attention of Congress until after the
conditions were such as to warrant definite
and final recommendations, but it is now
recognized that the state of the public mind
and the political agitation of the question
render it impossible to avoid a congress
sional discussion of the matter, and there
fore the President will probably give to
Congress the best information he has with
recommendation of such a course as will
strengthen the government in fully estab-
fishing its authority.
The report of the commission is expected
to be ready for transmission to Congress
by December and this will contain about
all the information in the possession of the
administration as to the condition and
needs of the islands The opponents Of the
administration policy are determined to
bring on a contest over the question as
soon as Congress meets, and, since the agi-
tation cannot be avoided or delayed to a
more appropriate time, it becomes neceS-
sary for the friends of the administration
to be prepared and to have a definite line
of action mapped out.
Many Resolutions Being Prepared.
Resolutions as numerous and as varied in
form as were those relating TO Cuba in the
last Congress have been prepared to be in
trCduced soon as Congress assemblies.
Some of them will be radical in the ex-
treme, but it is understood that the opposi-
ton are expected to finally concentrate
their efforts to adopt one similar TO the
Teller resolution respecting the policy TO
ultimate independence for Cuba This reso-
luton is to be introduced in the Senate i'm
mediately on the meeting OF Congress, ana
will, of course, be referred to the commit
tee on foreign relations, or on territories.
There may be contention over the queS-
ton of reference, as involving the question
of whether the resolutions deal with for
eign or American possessions. The foreign
relations committee is better constituted to
deal with such question, but the terri
tories committee might be able to make
good it's claim of jurisdiction. and refer
ence to this committee would be an official
recognition by the Senate of the Philippines
as part of our territory.
Hard Fight Expected.
It is fully realized by the administration
that there will be a hard fight over this
resolution both in the committee and in the
Senate. 1t will probably be held In the
committee for quite while, and it is pre-
dicted by senators who are preparing for
the contest that while the resolution will
surely come to vote during the session,
it will probably be six months before such
a vote can be had. Meanwhile there will
be a deluge of talk on the subject in the
Senate, and the course of the contest will
be Influenced greatly by the developments
in the Philippines. The happening in the
Philippines pending the threatened contest
in the Senate might be such as to dispose
of the question suddenly, but it is antici-
pated by the friends of the administration
that whenever the resolution comes to
vote it will be defeated by strong ma
jOrity.