Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-12-20
WASHINGTON.

bill.
He made very forcible and practi-
cal argument. speaking for nearly three
hours, using no notes, and discussing
the subject with a thonghtfulness which
showed his complete knowledge of it in
all its details. He was frequently in
terrogated, and was ready with his
answers and arguments This was
Senator Hannas first extended effort IN
debate, and it manifested more than
ever his powers of ready, forcible speech
unadorned with any flowers of rhetoric
but always clear and to the point.
The vote of 90 to Il, by which the
Senate that day adopted the Davis
amendment to the Hay-Pauncefote
treaty. most co nclusively shows the
sentiment of that body upon the ques-
tion at issue concerning the Nicaragu3n
canal. The Davis amendment provides
that none of the conditions and stipula-
tions Of this treaty regarding the neu-
trality of the canal ,,shall apply TO
measures which the United States may
find it necessary to take for securing,
by its own forces, the defence Of the
United States and the maintenance OF
public order" While this does not
cover the erection of permanent fortifi-
cations upon Nicaraguan territory. 1t
gives the United States power, so far as
any joint agreement with Great Britain
is concerned, to protect the canal in
time of war. The amendment is based
upon that article of the treaty of Con-
stantinople made October 30, 1888 be-
tween Turkey and the European powers
regarding the Suez canal which provides
that similar conditions and stipulations
shall not interfere with measures which
Turkey and Egypt might find it neces-
sary to take for securing by their own
forces the defense Of Egypt and tn
maintenance of public order, or the de-
fence of Turkeys other possessions sit
uated on the eastern coast of the Red
Sea.
Rep. Showalter has recommended
Martha W. Currie for p. VI at Elmbud;
Walter McCurdy for p NJ. at Flora.
Henry Ives Cobb, George Edward
Harding and William TysonGooch, arch
itects of wide fame whose plans for
the State Capitol at Harrisburg, Pa.
were accepted by the Capitol Commits
ion gainst the protest of board of ex-
perts, were severly censured by the
American Institute Of Architects at its
meeting in Washington, Saturday, and
informed that their membership in that
body was no longer desired
The directors of the institute in their
annual report presented last Wednesday
declared that Messrs Cobb, Harding and
Gooch had been guilty Of unprofession-
al conduct.
1t is assumed that the censure by the
American Institute of Cobb, Harding
and Gooch was because of their sub
mission of plans after the first drawings
had been rejected.
The House on Saturday passed the
war revenue reduction bill. The oppo
sition sought to recommit the bill with
instructions to report back a measure
reducing the revenue at least $40, 900,
900 and including provision for an in
come tax so drawn as to escape an ad-
verse decision of the Supreme Court.
The motion failed. 131 to 155. There
upon the bill was passed without the
concurrence Of the minority, who re-
Trained from voting.
The amendment placed in the bill
yesterday to tax express receipts was de-
feated on an aye and no vote
in the House, 1875 to 139 The pension
appropriation bill, carrying $145, 145,
230, was passed in exactly 10 minutes.
On Monday the Rivers and Harbors
committee decided to make an imme-
diate appropriation of $50, 900 for the
site and preliminary work and con-
tinuous appropriation of $3.50, 900 for
the construction of the lock to each of
the following dams on the upper Ohio I;
Dam No. 8, located below East Liver
pool; dam No. II, located below Wells
burg, and dam No Ia, located below
SistersYille, w. Va. The first of these
will make harbor for East Liverpool
and points above. while No. IL makes a
harbor for Wellsburg, Mingo and Steub-
enville. and No IA for Sistersyille and
New Martinsville. 1t will take about
three years to complete the locks in
each case, and the total cost Of each i'm
provement is estimated at $3.50, 900.
Argumentc were begun in the United
States Supreme Court late Monday af-
ternoon in two of the most important
cases ever brought before that high
tribunal. Unless the court finds some
way for them without going into the
merits of the great questions involved
that august body must say whether the
Constitution follows the flag" and
whether it is possible to erect tariff
barriers between the States and organ
lied Territories Of the United States
and the islands we have acquired dur
ing the last three years
One case is claim for q refund of
customs duties paid on an importation
of sugar from Puerto Rico and the
other is for judgement for the value
of IA diamond rings brought TO the
States by soldier who bought them in
the Philippines, but which the customs
officers sold for unpaid duties. The
Puerto Rico case may be thrown out
for want of jurisdiction or something of
that kind but it seems impossible
for the diamond rings case to be de-
cided without determination of the
question most generally debated in the
campaign last fall.
The cfstoms officers sold the gems
because duty was not paid on them IA
late as September 25, 1899, long after
the treaty of Paris gave ms the Philip
pines, and when, if ever, the Constitu-
tion applied to them without question
A decision against the United States
would mean that millions of money col
lected must be returned to the import
ers. 1t would mean that the products
of the cheap labor of the islands could
be brought here without any restric-
tions, and, above all, it would mean
that we cannot carry ont our promises
to give every Nation equal privileges
with ourselves in the Philippines. The
open door" there would be closed, and
there would be some danger that the
"open door in China would also be
closed against as.
Railroad Notes.
The sharon and Rufler railroad fbe