The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-17

Jumped on the constitution. It made
no difference whether the speaker was
q constitutional" lawyer, q "constitu-
tional" school teacher. q "oonstltu-
tiona" politician or whether he was
author. writer, publicist, farmer, mer-
chant, baker or candlestick maker"
he expounded the constitution. It
made no difference that few years
ago he was shooting bullets into It;
in this crisis he was holding II high
above the Capitol dome swearing that
the constitution followed the has."
that the flag meant citizenship, that
Puerto Ricans are citisens Of the
United States, that the Philippine saw.
ages are citizens, hence imperialism"
Now IL there is one Republican In
the whole country who has even the
bare suspicion of doubt a. to the
wisdom, Justice, common sense and
good politics Of the president's inten-
tions and purposes in the prompt, de-
cisive and honest adjustment Of all
these questions, political or economic,
1t may be dismissed. 1t took nearly
twenty-five years to settle the simple
question of honesty involved in our
financial policy, but 1t was settled on
Wednesday by a Republican congress-
and Republican president. 1t IL
simply q question Of good faith. COM
mon honesty and constitutional meth
ods in dealing with Puerto Rico and
the Philippines, and the American peo-
pie will trust the Republican, admin-
istration to settle them.
THE LEIsURELY SENATE.
There is not the slightest doubt Of
the determination of the Republicans
to meet the demands for immediate
action in reference to Puerto Rico
The duties collected from the Puerto
Ricans will be restored as soon as 1t
suits the easy-going senate to pass the
house measure looking to that end. 1t
ought to have passed today, but 1t did
not. Nothing is in the way. OF 1t but
the senate's everlasting way OF doing
business. The Hawaiians were suffer-
ing from fire and pestilence but the
senate discussed the proposition to
extend the necessary aid nearly two
weeks.
So the Quay case ought to have been
disposed Of long before this. That he
will be seated is hardly doubted now
by the most skeptical Of the opposition,
but there is a way to keep him out OF
his seat and deny Pennsylvania the
constitutional rights to representation
in the senate by dilatory action. Any
old pretext, whether plausible or not,
is dug up, first by one senator and
then by another, to postpone the final
consideration of the case. Exasper-
ated at the condition Of things, Sena-
tor Penrose was provoked yesterday to
address some very strong language to
Senator Gallinger. 1t was a misunder-
standing, possibly, but the final under
standing was made too plain for any
one to doubt what the two senators
meant when they gave each other the
plain, common, everyday lie.
The senate was dreadfully shocked;
and it looked for q time like fight.
Gallinger opposes Quay because, 1t Is
said, his colleague. Senator Chandler.
is on the Quay side. These two sena-
tors make it q point never to vote on
the same side of any question that will
admit of a party vote. They do
not speak to each other except on i'm
portant official business and they talk
in monosyllables, meanwhile looking IN
opposite directions.
ington. He appears to be in the very
best of spirits and expresses himself
as absolutely certain Of an early vote
and of being seated.
REPRESENTATIVE CONNELL.
If Mr.. George Nox McClain, staff
correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press, could be persuaded to take a
day off, come to Washington and spend
it with Representative Connell, he
would doubtless think that instead Of
being an ex-congressman Mr.. Connell
Is very much of a live congressman.
He would, reluctantly perhaps. agree
that Lackawanna has never had in
congress a more conscientious, faith
full, Industrious, or vigilant reprsssn.
tative in Washington than Mr.. Con-
nell.
At $50 a. m. the Press correspondent
would find him at his office engrossed
with his mail. II the walking should
be good, the aforesaid correspondent
would find his locomotion severely
taxed before he reached the capitol
After his daily departmental visits, he
goes promptly to the capitol and is
always there at noon when the house
Of some public party qustion. the Press
correspondent will find him either in
his committee room or employed in
some investigation In the Agricultural
department, or busy with some aues-
ton under consideration before the
committee on mines and mining. In
the evening the Press correspondent
Will look in vain In the hotel lobby or
the cafes for the Scranton congress-
man.
Upon the whole, he is a very very
busy man-for an "ex-congressman"--
and as busy as the liveliest represen-
tative in this congress.
So we'll informed a newspaper writer
as Mr.. McClain ought to know all this,
And be ought to know, what everybody
else knows. that it will probably be
some time before "ex" is written be-
fore Representative Connelrs name.
Mr.. McCiain's letter In yesterdays
Press. under Scranton date of March
II, was read by Mr.. Connell today.