The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-12-28
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

WAsHINGToN, D. c., December 24th.
MIR. EDIToR:-Will England accept the
Americanized Hay-Pauncefote treaty,
which will start for London this week, or
will it reject it and invite something even
less palatable? That is one of the most
discussed questions Of the hour in Wash
ington. Another is, will Congress wait
until England signifies its intentions be-
fore passing the Nicaragua Canal bill:
No one can answer either with any GER
tainty at this time, but the prevailing
opinion appears to be that the refusal of
England to accept the amended treaty
would arouse a very bitter anti English
sentiment, which might result in legisla-
ton that would be disastrous to English
interests instead of merely defen din g
American interests, as the amended treaty
does. The Canal question is really puz-
cling and becoming more so. Some of
the Senators who talk loudest for the
Canal bill are under suspicion of not bein g
sincere, and no one need be greatly sur
prised if there is no canal legislation at
this session, although at the opening of
the session the Canal bill was considered
one of the certainties, and it is fully known
that public sentiment Of the country,
regardless of politics, overwhelmingly in
dorses the Nicaragua Canal bill.
The extent of the fight for re election
that little Billy Chandler has on his hands
may be judged from his having egged
letters of recommendation from twenty
three of the republican Senators, to be
printed and circulated in New Hampshire
as an answer to the charge that he had
lost the confidence and support of many
of his republican colea CUES in the Senate.
This would have been shrewd dodge if
the Endorsement of IA sufficient number of
! republican Senators had been secured,
but when the number is less than one half
of the republican Senators it seems more
like a confirmation than a refutation of
the charge, as it is certain that Chandler
got all the letters he could.
Minister Conger is to be recalled on ac-
count of his alleged botch work in the
| negotiations at Pekin, which have at last
resulted in the signing of an agreeme1 t
by the foreign ministers on the demands
that shall be made on China, if close
friends of the administration know what
they are talking about. Others say that
ii Conger is recalled it will be merely to
make him a scapegoat behind which the
administration may conceal its wabbling,
which ended in a peremptory order to
Conger to sign an agreement-its full
text was made public Saturday-contain-
ing demands that this government had
over and over again said it would not
agree to. Semi official statements, ema-
mating from the State Department, charge
Conger with the responsibility of having
placed this government in a false position
by his laundering construction of the in
structions. The members of the dialo-
matte corps in Washin gton are all laugh
ing at the whole business
According to a newspaper guess which
may or may not be correct, but which
carries not only the sign of cleverness
but of painstaking observation, the United
States Supreme Court, which last week
heard arguments on one Of the cases in
volving the constitutionality of the ad-
ministration's policy towards the islands
acquired from Spain, now stands four in