The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1900-12-28
WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. %, 1900.

1t cannot be said with truth, just now
anyway, that Congress is not attending
to business Everyone seems to be thor
oughly impressed with the fact that this
session is far too short to accomplish more
than very small part of the work before
us, and is manfully doing its part. You
cannot attend session of either the Sen
ate or House without being impressed
with the general air of hustle" Even
the old and dignified landmarks" of the
venerable Senate are as nimble as the
youngest And then too, socially, the
city is unusually busy-something ION"
every day and evening, do not, for the
life of me, see how the ladies, especially,
can stand it, but they do, and with that
increasing animation and lovelinesS for
which our people are noted.
Santa Claus, too is busy, and the stores
are thronged with eager shoppers. Pros
perity is surely ripe in the land. But, now
to chronicle passing events:
The first person living outside the Inn
its of the United States to take his seat
in the House of Representatives is Robert
at the bar Of the House as delegate from
Hawaii and took the oath of Office.
Mr.. Wilcox was born in 1855 in Mauri,
one of the islands of the Hawaiin group,
his father being ship carpenter from
Newport, R. l., and his mother a native
of Hawaiin. When boy, Wilcox. was
sent to Italy where he was educated and
made sub-lieutenant in the Italian
navy. While in Italy, Wilcox married
beautiful Italian princess, and when he
returned to his native islands, he took her
with him. Their life together did not
prove to be happy one and his wife left
him and went to America. Here she
lived for some time in retirement in San
francisco and it was in that city that
child was born, which, however, died in
infancy. The princess then retur ned to
Italy and her marriage was annulled, a
legal divorce being obtained only recently.
In 1896 Wilcox married again, this time
native Hawaiin, and his wife and the two
children of this second marriage are at
present In Washington with him..
In appearance Mr.. Wilcox Is dark
skinned with straight black hair now
slightly streaked with gray. He has Q
very intelligent expression and agreeable
manners. Mr.. Wilcox realizes that there
is not much hope of securing legislation
for Hawaii at the present all too ghortses-
sion of congress. but he thinks that bill
for laying a cable from San Francisco to
Hawaii should be passed as soon as pos
sible. He is alsc strongly in favor of the |
early improvement of Pearl Harbor and |
thinks that the Hawaiin language as we'll |
as English should be permitted in the |
native courts.
L HO WuOIt illdLLer VI eApduSlOu Is HOW
hanging upon the decision OF the Supreme
Court of the United States, before which
body arguments have recently been in
progress in certain test cases, decision
Of which will finally settle the whole mat.
5er. If the court decides in favor of the
in the pending suits, it will
mean that the Philippines and Porto
Rico are, in fact, parts of the United
states, that all of their inhabitants are
citizens, that no tariff can be ordained
between these islands and the United
states proper, and that these islands must
'e regarded as eligible for statehood.
The whole question has been brought
% the front again by the resolution intro
iuced at an executive session of the
atitication of treaty with Spain, by
which we are to acquire proper title TO
wo islands of the Philippine group omit
ed b accident from the purchase we
made. The ratification was OBJ
ected to, and the matter laid on the
able, although not so specified, until the
ecision of the Supreme Court in the
ending cases. This decision cannot
yell be handed down much before the
by law of the present session I
+ Congress, and many persons regard
pecial session as inevitable to consider
be new problems which will certainly
rise, it makes no difference which way
ne court decides.
For many years the wives of the Cabinet
fficers have had Wednesday as their reg
lar reception day, and although the Off
al season does not begin until January
IT, the abinet ladies who have been in 7
)wn, have been receiving their friends
formally every Wednesday during the
1tumn. This year the time-bonored
lstom will be broken into for the reason
lat there is hardly a single Wednesday
ON the beginning of the season until F
ent, when there will not be some official
lnction at the White House, at which
lie Cabinet ladies must be present, and
lelr own regular receptions must, there
Lre, be abandoned.
The social season in Washington is as
lrefully planned and regulated as any
tcial business that is done at the Capt.
j. All the persons of note have their
'gular reception days. On the after
)Ons of these days, with certain of their e
lends grouped around them, they re-
i've their callers, while at table in one l.
the rooms, tea is poured by some of the O
,unger set. During the same late after s
,on hours, there are receptions given by
hers and by persons not in official so
ETY., for an increasing number of rich
ople from all over the country are COM
g to Washington every year to spend
e season, attracted by the pleasant A
inter- climate and the gayety of the ON
cldl lllt. % ludJ III Ju6 NluIbT IL nap IT
ms that every AFTERNOON the streets in H
e residence portion of the city are Al.
nply blocked with private carriages, vi vi
lnding in lines before the doors of resi- Ou
noes or hurrying about in all directions. 80
zen at night there are dinners, germans. ~,
lis and other forms of entertainment,
that every moment from January 1st
Ash Wednesday is occupied with some
m of social dissi patton. In no other
y does this exist to anythinglike the
ne degree, and 1t strikes the visitor to
) Capital as something marvellous.
{ is urged by tue political opponents
Robert w. Wilcox, the newly elected
egate from Hawaii, that he is biga-
st and therefore disqualified for taking oW
eat in the national House of Repre- on
ltatives. They claim that his first sic
rriage, made in Italy, has never been tal
ally dissolved, and that his second De
rriage, therefore, is illegal. IL
,hairman Burton SAYS that. work in lie
ming the River and Harber bill is su
npleted and that the total amount APP an