The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-01-01
SENATE WILL now
BEGIN ITS WORK
Fight on The Currency Bill Starts
Thursday.
FEW SPEECHES TO BE MADE
Democrats Will Hardly Attempt a
FilibuSter.
QUAY MATTER MAY INTERFERE
The Seating of the Pennsylvania Now
Threatens to Bring on More
Discussion Than the
Financial Bill

Washington, December 31.-With the re-
sumption of its sittings Wednesday, the
senate will practically begin the real work
of the session. After the present week,
longer day sessions will be the rule, and
very few more adjournments from Thurs
day to Monday are to be expected, as was
characteristic of the sessions of the past
two weeks.
In the absence of Senator Aldrich, chair
man of the committee on finance. who will
have charge of the financial bill, no definite
statement can be made as to how vigorous
ly he will press that measure at the begin
ming of business, but there is no doubt of
his general determination to push it along
as rapidly as possible after the present
week. He has given notice that he will call
the measure up on Thursday, and it is gen.
orally believed that he will then or on the
following day make a statement in support
of it.
1t is the purpose of the supporters of the
bill to make very few speeches, leaving the
opposition to do the greater share of the
talking, while its opponents on the other
hand will use every endeavor to draw the
friends of the bill into running debate.
fInere IS no present purpose OH tHe part
of the opposition to delay the passage of
the bill unnecessarily, and likewise none on
the part of its supporters to press the meas
ure to the personal inconvenience of oppos-
ing senators.
Those senators who are antagonistic to
the bill as a rule freely confess their in
ability to defeat 1t, saying that it will get
practically the entire republican vote If
needed, and probably one or two democratic
votes. With a session of unlimited duration
before them, they cannot hope to conduct a
successful fiilibuster. Hence, they will not
. seek to delay the measure beyond the time
necessary to discuss its provisions, and
give the country the benefit of their analy-
sis of its provisions. How long 1t may take
them to do this will depend largely upon
the length of the daily sessions and the
freedom from interruption by other busi-
ness.
Quay Matter May Interfere
At present there Is but one matter which
threatens to interfere with the continuity
of the proceedings upon the financial bill.
That is the right Of Senator Quay to
seat in the, senate. Senator Chandler,
chairman of Gle committee on privileges
and elections has stated that several
speeches will be made in the Quay case
soon after the beginning elf business 1t
now seems prpbable that there will be
more debate oyer the Quay contest than
over the finandial measure.
Up to date not more than half dozen
senators have announced purpose to make
speeches, while the probabilities are that
the Quay case will call out much animated
discussion.
1T will be difficult to hold the discussion
OF foreign questions, especially the Philip.
pine subject, in check during the financial
discussion.
Many Of the southern senators are anx-
ious to bring the Philippine question to
tho front, and it may be safely predicted
that there will be more or less reference
to it from the beginning.
There will be early effort TO get up
the Samoan treaty, and it may furnish a
basis for discussion of the foreisn policy
IL one Is not found before the tieaty Is
considered.
u During the present week the foundations
of the financial discussion will be laid,
and it doubtless will reveal much of the
plans off both sides to the controversy.
There will be strenuous effort to pass
the bill without amendment, but the OPP
position will insist upon votes on innum-
cradle propositions, and on some of these
they may get the support of some sena-
tors known to have pro-sllver eanings.