The Republican., 1900-11-29
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 26, 1900

range the direct Republican legisla-
tive programme in the Senate, which
must be arranged with much more
care than that for the House, where
an order from the committee on rules
can, at any time, limit the debate
and set time for voting on meas
ure. With such pilots in charge,
there is no probability-hardly a
possibllity-thata any mistakes will be
made in the Senate end at this session
of Congress. The Nicaragua Canal
Bill, which passed the House at the
last session is already provided for,
the Senate having agreed that it
should be taken up December 10, and
given the right of way until disposed
of. Which of the more important
bills will follow will be decided by the
steering committee, but the decision
will depend to an extent upon which
gets through the house first. Although
the shipping bill is already uron the
Senate calendar, and the several
propositions for an army reorganiza~
tion bill were carefully gone over by
the Senate Military Committee at
the last session, it is likely that the
House will be given an opportunity
to pass both before they are brought
before the Senate.
1t is the expressed intention of the
Republican leaders of the House to
pass the army bill and the shipping
bill before the holiday recess, al
though one or both may be referred
to caucus first. Chairman Hull, of
the House Military Committee, has
been in Washington nearly a week
comforting with the President, War
Department officials and army officers
on the details of the army bill, upon
which his committee will get to work
this week, in order that it may be re-
ported to the House at the earliest
possible moment.
Representatives Payne, Dalzell and
Hopkins, acting as a subcommittee
of the House Ways and Means Com
lnittee, have completed the first draft
of bill to reduce internal revenue
taxation. The bill will not be made
public until approved by the commit
tee, and possibly by the House, which
will be during the first week of the
session, but it is practically known
that it deals almost exclusively with
the stamp taxes which have proven a
source of worry and Inconvenience,
although cheerfully paid by the pub
lie because it was known that the
money was needed by the govern
ment, and that it does not touch the
tax on beer or any kind of tobacco.
The beer and tobacco interests have
already begun to howl, but the com
mittee will probably stand by the
work of the subcommittee. In ac-
cordance with the advice of Secretary
Gage, the aggregate reductions made
by the bill, will be inside $50, 900, 600 a
year.
President Mckinley and Secretary
Hay added another to the several
diplomatic triumphs they haye scOr-
ed for the United States in connec-
ton with the Chinese troubles when
they took the initiative in breaking
the deadlock into which the foreign
ministers at Pekin have gotten them.
selves, by suggesting to the other
powers that the negotiations be taken
out of the hands of the foreign minis
ters and that an international com
mission be assembled outside OF
China, preferably at The Hague, fol
the purpose of agreeing upon the de
mands that the powers shall make
upon China. Favorable replies hayt
already been received from several O
the powers and it is considered prob
able that the suggestion will be acteC
upon. 1t is not the idea of the Presi
dent that there should be any nego
tiations with China at all, but tha
the international commission shal
determine what demands it would b'
fair and reasonable to make upol
China, and that China shall then b.
notified to comply with them. H
believes that something between th'
punishment the Chinese governmen
wishes to administer to those who in
vestigated the Boxer troubles and tn
wholesale beheading of prominen
men demanded by some of the pow
ers will be about right, and that tn
money indemnity shall be fixed at
figure that China can pay, rathe
than at the impossible amount name
by Germany.
The preliminary report of the lstl
mian Canal Commission is in tn
hands of President Mckinley, and, a
was expected, is strongly in favor {
the Nicaragua route, which will b
many millions cheaper than the Pal
ANA route. This makes it practica
ly certain that the President will i
his annual message to Congress ret