The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-12-21
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

MIR. ED1roR:-No administration has
ever received a more humiliating defeat
at the hands of Senate, controlled by a
majority of its own party, than has been
administered to the present one by the
amendments added to the Hay-P auncefote
treaty within the last few days. Instead
of cringing to England, as the treaty as
originally drawn by Lord Pauncefote and
accepted by Secretary Hay did, and beg
ging the consent of England and all the
other European powers to our construct
ing the Nicaragua Canal with our own
money and then giving to all other coun
tries equal rights therein with us, the
amended treaty serves notice on England
that the Clayton-Bulwer treaty is thereby
abrogated; that we are going to dig the
canal 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 ratities that treaty
it will be a thorough American document,
as the public sentiment of the country has
from the first demanded that it should be.
When these amendments were first talked
about the administration tooters INDUCED
in considerable bluffing concerning the
fight the administration would make to
have the treaty ratified without amend
ment. When the time came for show
down, did the administration fight Not
even the tiniest little bit. On the con-
trary, Mr.. Mckinley even gave his con-
sent to the amendment and promised to
forward the treaty to England after its
ratification, 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 that doesn't seem to be worry
ing the Senators. They say that if Eng
land rejects the treaty as amended, Con-
gress will adopt joint resolution declar-
ing the Clayton Bulwer treaty abTogated
and chat the construction of the Canal
will go right along just the same as though
England had accepted the treaty.
Senator Allen, of Nebraska, has pro-
posed an amendment to the Ship Subsidy
bill, authorizing payment of bounties on
agricultural products exported The
amounts named being, ten cents a bushel
on wheat; fifty cents a barrel on wheat
| flour; ten cents bushel on rye; fifty cents
| a barrel on rye flour; five cents a bushel
on corn seven cents per GENITAL on ground
| corn; one cent pound on cotton; two
cents pound on hops, and two cents a
pound on tobacco. There is, Of course,
| no probability that Senator Allen amend
ment will be adopted, but he. and many
others, regard the proposition as on the
same footing with the object aimed at by
the ship subsidy bill, SO far as principle is
concerned, and being much better way
to give away public money, because it
would be more widely distributed.
The republicans of the Ways and Means
| Committee received two defeats while the
House was sitting as committee of the
whole to consider amendments to the
Revenue Reduction bill. The House by a
vote of "a to So defeated the Committee
amendment, abolishng one-sixth and one
eighth beer barrels, on the ground that it
was discrimination against the small
brewers of the country, and by a vote of
106 to 80 adopted an amendment, proposed
by Representative H. G. Smith, of Michi-
| gan, requiring all railroads and express
| companies to make sworn statements
monthly of their business and to pay one
cent tax for each ILL of lading and receipt
issued. Later, the committee, assisted by
Senator Platt, of New York, who is presi-
dent of one of the big express companies,
rallied its forces and got the latter amend
ment struck out just before the final vote
was taken passing the bill.
From being the Gar of the House to
being unknown to Il member of the House
is quite plunge for a man to take inside
of two years, but the drop has been made
by Hon Thomas Bracket Reed, whose
law practice now includes a little Con
gressional lobbying. Mr.. Reed was just
coming out of the House when Represen-
tative Cromer of Indiana, asked one of
the door keepers who that fat man was
Such is fame
Secretary Root waits to do all the lob
| bying himself that is done by the War
Department; consequently he has sent a
circular letter to the army Officers who
are at the head of bureaus in that depart
ment, calling their attention to an army
observation-disclosures to influence legis,a
ton affecting the army should never be
made except through regular military
channels" and directing that all commu
nications that army officers desire sent to
Congress shall be forwarded through him