Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-12-23
Special to the Leader.

gress adjourned today until January
Bird, and for once nobody can deny
that 1t has earned its Christmas recess
AT few, If any, sessions has so much
been accomplished before the holiday
recess. Besides the legislation actual
ly disposed of, the House committees
have nearly the regular appropriation
bills that have not been reported
about ready to be reported after the
recess. The Senate committees have
also done much work. The appropri-
alton bills passed by the House are all
in good shape, and the committee on
Military Affairs has a substitute for
the Army Reorganization bill ready to
be reported, This bill differs in several
important particulars from the bill
passed by the House. but the strength
cf the reorganized army remains the
samoa minimum of $4,000 men and
a maXimum of 100000. The clause in
the original bin abolishing the "army
canteen" has been struck out and one
inserted providing that beer but no
other form of intoxicant may be sold
in the post exchanges. This action is
the result of the testimony given by
army officers in favor of the sale of
beer to the soldiers, to keep them away
from the dives and the speakeasles
which always abound in the neighbor-
hood of army posts. 1t is likely to be
sharply antagonized by the opponents
of the canteen when the bill gets be-
fore the Senate.
The American people love courage.
whether moral or physical. Therefore
they will not fail to give Secretary Hay
full credit for his moral courage in
making an official statement in which
he assumes absolute responsibility for
the wording of the -Pauncefote
treaty, which the Senate SO radically
amended before ratifying. Secretary
Hay said in that statement. what
ever odium there is in connection with
the so-called Hay-Pauncefote treaty
rests entirey with the State Depart
ment. The compact was drawn up en-
tircly by the State Department and
submitted to Great Britain with the
result that it was approved without
change, even he crossing of ct" or
the dotting of an 81" Every line,
word and letter of the treaty is as it
was prepared by the State Depart
ment." This effectually disposes of
the string of ridiculous stories alleging
that the treat-- had been written by
Lord Pauncefote, or in the British
Foreign Office in London, and other
idlotic things. 1t also makes it evil
dent that there are no insurmountable
obstacles in the way of the acceptance
of the amended treaty by Great Britain.
Capt. William Folger, commanding
the United States Kearsarge. said in
his report to the Navy Department of
the performance of the submarine boat
Holland, in the experiments at New
port: 1T is clear that the Holland type
will play very serious part in the
future naval warfare. There is no
doubt, whatever, that the vessel at
Newport can approach a turret ship
unseen, either by night or day. Her
only danger is she may run over her
self by picket or large vessels" Ad-
miral Farquhar, commander-in-chief of
the North Atlantic squadron; Capt.
Mason, commanding the torpedo sta
tion at Newport, and Capt. Nathan
Sargent, commanding the United
States Steamship Scorpion, all com
mend the Hollands work in their re-
ports These reports We're sent to the
Senate by Secretary Long in com
| pliance with a resolution offered by
Senator Stewart
Notwithstanding the predictions of
the democratic press of eXtravagant
appropriations by the republicans at
this session of Congress not a single
appropriation bill has passed which
contained an item which any democrat
characterized as eXtravagant. AS a
matter OF fact. some democrats are
strongly urging extravagant appropria-
tiOns To he snent in their nWn l0cali-