The age-herald., 1900-05-21
THE CANAL BILL.

OsANAA
 From the Washington Times.
 Senator Morgan's joy was unbounded when he emerged from the senate com mittee room yesterday with favorable report on a measure for which hes has been fighting in season and out of season for many years He talked guardedly about his next move. Beyond asserting with great postiyeness that if he could get the bill on it's final passage at this session he would have no doubt of getting it through by an overwhelming majority, he was not inclined to discuss it's outlook. T have told you all along" he said to a Times reporter, that I would get the bill out of my committee with a favorable report behind it. Last week the prospects seemed decidedly discouraging, but the American people have been heard from since the enemies of the measure showed their hand, and the result is that the op- position is moving a little more cautiously MT Mcbride of Oregon came over to us at the right time and the victory was ours. I have been fighting them from behind breastworks, never exposing my strength fully, and I knew that we were bound to win. I still have a good deal of ammuni- ton left, and I am confident that we can force a test vote OH the bill before the session closes.
 "Of course I don't know what the repub- lican steering committee is going to do. 1 have been feeling around carefully to de- termine that point but I have obtained no satisfactory result in that quarter yet. However, there are more ways of killing cat besides choking it to death on butter. We shall get vote on the bill at an early date and then we can tell more about it's prospects, 1 don't know yet on what sort of motion we can get the vote. That is a detail that we have not yet agreed upon. l am sure, however, that if we could force it to a vote on final passage it would go through the senate with an unusually large majority. Still, if we succeed only in show ing the country who its enemies are we will have accomplished much good for the en- terprise.''
 Senator Hanna refused to discuss the matter. However, from a gentleman who enjoys MT. Hanna's confidence, and who discussed the subject with him yesterday afternoon, it was learned that the admin istration is determined not to permit the bill to come to a final vote at this session. It is realized in administration circles that | if the alternative of passing it or rejecting | it finally were presented to the senate the | measure would go through with a majority | quite as large in proportion that by which it passed the house.
 As described by the Times informant who talked with MT. Hanna on the subject the administrations attitude is this: For obvious political reasons the president does not want to be confronted with the bill al this time. If it were presented to him he would be forced by the tremendous pres sure of public sentiment and the eXigencies
 of the campaign to sign it. If he should ap- prove the bill he would alienate from his support some of the most powerful political l and financial influences in the country-in- deed, in the world. He, therefore, looks to his supporters in the senate to shield him from the embarrassing situation that would be caused if the bill should be permitted to pass that body.