Middletown transcript., 1900-04-07
WASHINGTON LETTER
The Surplus in the Treasury
is Over $53, 900, 900.
THREE CRUISERS TO BE BUILT
The President Gives a Dinner to the
Philippine Commission = Trade
With Our New Possessions
VIII be Very Large.
WASHINGTON. April 3. 1900.

WASHINGTON, April 8, 1900.
Representative Shattuc. of Ohio
paid his respects to Senator Tillmar
for pretending that be wished to con-
fer American citizenship upon Porto
Ricans and Filipinos, and then gloat-
ing over his part in suppressing the
political rights of thousands Of citizens
of South Carolina.
Plans have been completed by the
| Naval Construction Board for three
cruisers-the California, the Nebrask a
and the West Virginia-Which will be,
when put in service, the strongest war
ships in the world. Tney will have
stronger batteries, be more thoroughly
armored, have larger coil capacity, a
wider steaming radius than similar
vessels of any navy, and still will have
a speed of % knots.
President Mckinley gave a dinuer as
farewell honor to the members of the
Philippine Commission, who have re-
ceived their full instructions and VIII
expect to sail from San Francisco fol
Manila on the 18th inst., to be absent
about two years. This Commission
will have more authority than any
other has ever been given, although its
acts will be nominally under the au.
thority of the Secretary of War. AS
a matter of fact, the Commission can
do whatever it thinks best with the
certainty that its acts will be endorsed
bp Secretary Root and the President.
The surplus in the Treasury is pill |
ing up so rapidly-it exceeded $53, ,000,-
900 for the three-quarters of the fiscal |
year ending Saturday, March 31st,-I
that President Mckinley is consider
ing tie advisability of asking Congress
to reduce the internal revenue taxes,
which were imposed on account of the
war with Spain. This is a bitter pill
TO those Democrats who have been
deficit in the Treasury,
and is grand showing for Republican
craftsmanship and administrative abil-
ty although not at all surprising. 1t
IS the sort of showing the Republicans
nave habit of making.
Senators Spooner and Depew made
notable speeches to-day in favor of the
Porto Rico bill, which will be voted
lpon and passed by the Senate to-mor-
ow. Although the Democrats are
moving heaven and earth to arouse
republican opposition to the bill in the
Iouse, there is no reason to believe
hey will succeed. The principal of
he bill as originally passed by the
Iouse has not been affected in the
lightest degree by the changes and ad-
itions made by the Senate, and Chair
IAN Payne, who will have charge of
be bill in the House, is confident that
will be promptly passed, and other
lembers of the House who are in posi- c
ions to know, have assured President n
IcKinley that the bill would be passed
y the House, and in his hands before G
ne close of the week.
Mr.. ]. l.. Brass, of st. Paul, Mimi, g
no is in Washington on business thus Il
peaks on our business outlook, upob
hich he is posted: sour trade with c
le Orient will be tremendous. We 1.
re not going to get this trade in a B
onth, but we are going to get it. 1t W
i'll come 10 us gradually. W. will do y
1siness with Porto Rico, Cuba, aud =,
10 Philippines, tariff or no t,riff. 1t nj
ust come. We are manufacturing st
,untry. Even now, we are shipping E
Zip load after shipload of goods to kl
hina and Japan. We are bringing &c
lck cargoes of goods from those ru
'untries. Mr.. James Hill. the rail- al
ay magnet, is building a line of YES q
Is to ply between this country and
hina. He intends TO ship flour to tn
rient and bring back rice. Here is
lother point. There are men in this A.
'untry representing South African on
pitalists who have 81, 900, 900 to spend WI
machinery. There will be more ~ ~
achinery needed in that country. in
here will be machinery needed in the fro
in Porto Rico, and in tn
lba. We are the country that will tn
pply the demand" by
m,
The Senate has for the second time, sol
more than two-third vote, put on ill
cord its opinion thtt Porto Rico is es
TIA part of the United States and Iu
at Porto Ricans are not American iiis
izens. The question was brought to '. =.
issue on an amendment offered to lar
9 Porto Rican bill by Senator Pettus, Tb
Alabama-that ''the Constitution is
bro
cal
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