Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-02-04
The Politician.

| treaty OF peace at JnlS session uepSnuS
upon the votes OF few Senator's who
have allowed the opponents of the
treaty to believe that they will vote
against it. He believes, as does Sena-
tor Davis, that enough of these Sena-
tors will vote for the treaty to ratify
it, but he is not worrying over the
matter, because he knows that even il
these Senators should vote against the
treaty, it would only defer its ratifica
ton until an extra session of the SEN
ate meets, few days after the close of
the present session.
Having about lied out concerning his
politics, the yellow journals have COM
manced to lie about President McKin-
ley's physica condition. One of them
this week printed lot of stun about
his being on the verge of prostration.
President Mckinley needs a rest, as
would any man not made of iron who
had been under the tremendous strain
and responsibility he has been under
for year past, but his general health
has never been better than now.
The House this week passed the Riv-
ers and Harbors bill; which carries APP
preparations, new and continuing, for
a little more than s90,OOO,OO0
The finding of the Eagan court mar
tial, together with legal review of
the case by the Judge Advocate Gener-
al, has just been handed to the Pres-
dent, That he will mitigate the sent
ence of dismissal from the army i'm
posed by the court martial is regarded
as certain, but to what extent, or how
soon he will act, it is Impossible to
more than guess at this time.
The speeches in the Senate, both in
open and executive session, this week,
, have consisted largely of restatements
of what had aready been said about
the Philippines. and have consequently
ben more or less tiresome; just as the
resolution adopted is meaningless.
Representative Stone, of Pennsyl-
vania, chairman of the committee on
Coinage Weights and Measures, this
week presented the committee report
on the Hill bill, recently reported to the
House. The Hill bill follows the lines
of the recommendations of the Indian
apolis monetary conference. 1t de-
clares for the gold standard; provides
for the interchangeability of all forms
of money; separation of the issuance
Of notes from the fiscal branch of the
Treasury Department, and gradual re-
tirement of the greenbacks. The re-
port says of the bill 1T seeks to
strengthen. solidify and fortify our
present system rather than to build
anew. Its purpose may be defined in
three words, to remove danger; or,
perhaps better, the apprehension of
danger. 1t especially seeks to ally at
home and abroad all doubt as to the
present and permanent quality of our
money, and to make and keep the
credit of the nation above the reach of
successful attack or well-grounded APP
prehension." This bill can be easily
put through the House, but the leaders
have not yet decided to do so, and may
not because of the absolute impossi-
bllity of getting it or any other finan-
cial bill through the Senate as that
body now stands.
Notwithstanding all the Democratic
shouting and the predictions of the
terrible things that the mammoth
standing army of ninety odd thWtsand
men will be able to do tothis pigmy ma
ton of 75,000,000 people, there were
only six Republicans who voted
against the Hull bill when it passed
the House. and as an offset four Dem
Ocrats and one Populist voted for the
bill The total vote was 16S to 125.
The bill was amended before being
passed so as to give the President au-
thority in his discretion to reduce the
total of the regular army to not less
than $4,000; also to abolish the army
"canteen." Leading Senators express
Jhe opinion that the Hull bill will be
passed by the Senate without substan-
tial change, but the time for action is
growing very short and there will be
uneasiness until the Senate has passed
it.. They know how easy it is for a
strong minority to hang a bill up in
the Senate.
The most important diplomatic ut
terance in Washington for some time
was the authorized interview in which
the German Ambassador to the United
States said: About the question of
expansion, which has become such a
vital one, l can say that Germany at
least is not interfering in what is
strictly the affair of the United States
The United States did not object to our
occupation of Klao-Chou. Why should
we object to American occupation of
the Philippines? We have not in the
Philippines any more vital interest
than America has in China. Since the
United States, although urged to do so,
did not protest against our entrance
into her commercial domain in the Ce-
lestial Empire we cannot do a more
courteous act than to follow her ex-
ample and abstain from all criticism
Of her acts in Asiatic waters" The
fact that the German Ambassador had
from the beginning of the war with
Spain unit the publication of this in
1