The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1900-12-22
THE LEADING
Washington, ID. C., News.
From our Regular Correspondent.
Washington, Dec. II, 1900.

w ash1ngCOn, Dec. IL, lSUO.
No administration has ever re-
ceived a more humilating defeat
at the hands of Il Senate con-
trolled by majority of its own
party, than has been administered
to the present one by the amend
ments added to the Hay-Paunce-
forte treaty within the last few
days. Instead of cringing to Eng
land, as the treaty, as originally
drawn by Lord Paunceforte, and
accepted by Secretary Hay and
Mr.. Mckinley, did, and begging
the consent of England and all
the other European powers to our
constructing the Nicaragua Canal
with our own money and then
giving to all other countries equal
rights therein with us, the
amended treaty serves notice on
England that the Clayton-Bul-
wer treaty is thereby abrogated :;
that we are going to dig the ca
nal and control and protect it in
our own way and without asking
the consent of any other power
in the world. In short, when the
Senate ratifes that treaty it will
be a thorough American docu-
ment, as the public sentiment of
the country has from the first de-
inanded that it should be. When
these amendments were first
talked about, the administration
tooters indulged in considerable
blutfing concerning the fight the
administration would make to
have the treaty ratified without
amendment. When the time
came for show down did the ad-
ministration fight ? Not even the
tinniest little bit. On the con-
trary, Mr.. Mckinley even gave
his consent to the amendment
and promised to forward the
treaty to England after its ratifi-
cation, but he told the Senators
who went to inform him that the
amendments would be added
whether he liked them or not that
he was afraid that England would
never, never accept the amended
treaty-that Hay was positively
certain it would not. But this
doesn't seem to be worrying the
Senators. They say that if Eng
land rejects the treaty as amend
ed, Congress will adopt Il joint
resolution declaring the Clayton
Bulwer treaty abrogated, and
that the construction of the Ca
nal will go right along just the
same as though England had ac-
cepted the treaty.
Senator Allen, of Nebraska,
has proposed an amendment to
the Ship-subsidy bill, authorizing
payment of bounties on agricul-
tural products exported. The
amounts named being, ten cents a
bushel on wheat fifty cents a
barrel on wheat -four ten cents
a bushel on rye fifty cent bar
rel on rye flour five cents a
bushel on corn !; seven cents pei
central on ground corn one cent
a pound on cotton two cents q
pound on hops, and two cents 9
pound on tobacco. There IS, OF
course no probability that Scna.
| tor Aliens amendment will be
adopted, but he, and many others
regard the proposition as on the
same footing with the object
aimed at by the Ship-Subslds
bill, SO far as principle is con
cerned, and being a much better
way to give away public money, be-
cause it would be more widely
distributed.
The Republicans of the Way:
and Means Committee received
1.-TWO defeats while the House was
sitting as a committee of tht
whole to consider amendments tt
the Revenue Reduction Bill. Tht
House by vote of 94 to IS de
feated the Committee amendment
abolishing one-sixth and one
/ eigth beer barrels, on the grounI
that it was discrimination
against the small brewers of th'
/ country. and by a vote of 106 tt
ss adopted an amendment, pro
posed by Representative H. G
Smith, of Michigan, requiring al
railroad and express companie
to make sworn statements month
lily of their business and to pa
one-cent tax for each bill of 10
cling and receipt issued. Late
the committee assisted by Sena
| tor Platt, of N. Y, who is presi
dent of one Of the big expires
companies, rallied its forces an,
got the latter amendment strucl
out just before the final vote wa
taken passing the bill.
Call up Phone No. 10 when 20
r. - il