Middletown transcript., 1900-12-01
Washington Letter.

Y
J man of wide experience in both business
" and politics, compose the steering COM
e mftee that will arrange and direct the
. Republican legislative 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 a measure.
With such pilots in, n,charge, there is 10
: prooability-hardly a possibilitv-tllat
sny mistakes will be made in the Senate
eno at this session OF Congress. The
: Nicaragua Canal Bill, which passed the
House at the last session is already pro-
vlded for, the Senate having agreed that
1t should be taLen up December, 10. and
gwen the right of way until disposed of.
which OF the more important bills will
1oiioW will be decided by The steering
committee, but the decision will depend
TO an extent upon which gets through
the house fist. Although the shining
bill is already upon the Senate calendar
and the seve.al propositions for an armv
reoige ilization bill were carefully rome
over by the Senate Military Committee at
the last session, it is il;ely that the
House will be given an o.tunity to
pass both f5effore they ere brought before
the Senate.
~
1t is the expressed intention of the Pe-
publican leaders of the House to pass the
array bill and the shipping bill before the
noGday recess, although one or both NAV
be referred to caucus first, Chairman,
Hull, of the House Military Committee
has been in Washington nearly week
eonfering with the President, War De-
partment officials and army officers on
the details OF the army bill, upon which
ms committee will get TO work this week
IN order that it may be reported to the
House at the earliest possible momenS.
~
Representatives Payne, DalzelI and
Hopkins, acting as a subcommittee of
tie House Ways and Means Committee.
have completed the first draft of bill to
reduce internal revenue taxaSion. The
Dill will not be made public until ap-
proved by the committee, and possibly
not Until it is reported by the House,
which will be during the fist week of
the session, but it is pTac. .;cally known
tnat 1t deals almost exclusively With the
stamp taxes which have proven source
OF worry and inconvenience, although
cneerlully paid by the public because it
was known that the money was needed
oy the government, and that it does not
toach the tax on beer or on any kind of
tobccco. The beer and tobacco interests
have already begun to howl, but the COM
mltcee will probably stand by the work
OF the subcommittee. In acco dance
with the advise of Secretary Gage, the
aggregate reductions made by the bill,
will be inside of 100000 year.
*.*
President Mckinley and Secretary Hay
added another to the several diplomatic
triumphs they have scored for the United
States in correction with the Chinese
troubles Wien they took the initiative in
breaking the deadlock into which the
foreign ministers at Pekin have gotten
themselves, by suggesting to the other
powers that the negotiations be taken
'ut OF the hands of the foreign ministers
md that an international commission be
assembled outside of China, preferably
1t The Hague, fof the purpose of sgreeing
lpon the demands that the powers shall
make upon China. Favorable replies
lave already been received from several
# the powers and it is considered pro-
'able that the suggestion will be ected
lpon. 1t is not the idea of the P,esident
hat there should be any negotiations
With China ct all, but that the ihterna-
ional Commission shall determine what
demands it would be fair and reasonable
o make upon China, end that China
hall then be notified to comply, with
hem. He believes that something be-
ween the punishment the Chinese gov
wishes TO administer 90 those
Tho instigated the Boxer troubles and
be wholesale beheading OF prominent
nen demanded by some of the powers
Till be about right, and that the money
Indemnity shall be fixed at a figure
bat China can pay, rather than ait the
npossible amount named by Germany.
~
The preliminary report of the sth,l
lian Canal Commission is in the hi
President Mckinley, and, as was
ected, is strongly in favor of the Nj
ua route, which will be many mill
heaper than the Panama route.
lakes it practically certain that
resident will, in his annual message
ongress recommend the necessary ies
ltion for the construction of the Nical
ua Canal.
President Mckinley attended the BAN
net given by the Union League
lub, of Philadelphia, Saturday night.
lie speaks very warmly of the cordial re-
option given him by the eminent citi-
Ems of the Quaker city, who SO enthusi-
stically applauded his remarks at the
anquet. The President has received
ANY personal congratulations on the
NOR Of bis speech. Although the Union
eague is political Club, there was
othing of the triumphant partisan in the
residents speech, which was that of a
atriot rather than a politician.