The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-03-16
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON. D. c.. March 18th.
Mr.. EDIToR:-The amendment of the
Nicaragua Canal treaty, giving this coun-
try the right to defend and control the
canal in time of war, although proposed
by epublican-Senator Davis,-was a
democratic triumph, because the amend
ment is an unqualified endorsement of the
position taken by the democrats when the
treaty was first made public. AS amended
the treaty will probably receive the votes
of enough democratic Senators to make
it's ratification reasonably certain, although
there are features in it that will prevent
some democrats from voting for its ratiti
cation.
In order to get republican votes enough
in the Senate to pass the Porto Rican tariff
bill numerous amendments have been
agreed to, among them one to admit all
goods from the United States to Porto
Rico free of duty. And it may be neces-
sary to reduce the duty ON Porto Rican
products below the fifteen per cent. pro-
vided for in the House bill. 1t will be a
long time before the hard feelings aroused
among republicans by this bill pass away,
and republicans admit that it is likely to
cost them number of seats in the House.
AS though there were not already Il suf-
ficient number of differences between Mr..
Mckinley and his party in Congress. a
new and serious one has turned up in the
reciprocity treaty with France. Mr.. Nc
Kinley is insisting that the Senate shall
ratify the treaty at the present session,
while leaders in his party in the Senate,
knowing the extent of the party opposi-
ton to the treaty, wish to let the matter
go over until the next session, under the
pretense that the Committee on Finance
wishes time to make an exhaustive inves-
tigation into the effect the treaty will have
upon our revenues if ratified. Neither
side has yet won, but the Senators know
that they have only to held out to make
Mr.. Mckinley back down, as he has
done in every controversy he has had with
his party leaders in Congress.
A new and interesting bit of political
gossip is that Mr.. Mckinley is seriously
thinking of making scapegoat of Secre-
tary Hay, with the hope of squaring him
self with the numerous and influential re-
publicans who have been making vigorous
protests against the too-English foreign
policy of the administration. 1t would be
nothing new for Mr. Mckinley to sacri-
flee friend to serve his own political IL
terests, but in this particular case 1t Is
doubtful whether the sacrifice would do
more than add to the country's belief in
the adroitness of Mr. Mckinley in looking
out for number one. Mr. Hay is inviting
the sacrifice by his talk against the amend
ment of the Nicaragua Canal treaty.
Are the majority of the Senate afraid Of
England? Their action, when Senator
Mason compelled the Senate to take up
his resolution expressing sympathy for
the Beers, certainly looked that way.
The majority refused to allow the resolu-
ton to be discussed in open session, be
cause things would be said that might Of
fend England Ye Gods. this sort Of talk
in the American Senate, where men who
cringed to no foreign friend or foe, once
upon a time fcarlessly expressed their
opinion and time after time have spoken
in favor of down troddcn peoples without
stopping to think whether their oppressors
would like it or not. Now, as soon as