The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-09
Chat Of the Capital
Washington Gossip, Political and
Otherwise, for the Readers
Of the Globe.

/ .~~~s~~-~~-.eo~~o
I WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. s-(Spe-
cial.)-There seems to be opposition on
the part of the Republican members of
both house and senate to any measure
| following the line Of the merchant ma
rine bill introduced at the last session Of
| congress by Senator Hanna and Repre-
I sentative Payne.
In previous dispatches to the G. o b Q
have told Of the opposition upon the
! part or various foreign steamship COM
! panleS to the enactment Of any law In
line with that proposed by either the
Hanna or Payne bills of the last session
I or the provisions in the new measures
| drafted and presented this year. The
! great lobby kept here by the various for
| eign steamship companies who are now
securing all our trade is hampering very
| largely the plans of the advocates of q
measure beneficial to our merchant ma
| r1ne. Senator Hanna, in talking with a
newspaper correspondent the other day,
seemed to be satisfied that a measure
like he has proposed will become law
within the next few months. He is will
| ing to accept amendments. If the COM
| nfttee considering the pending bills pro-
pose them. but is anxious to accomplish
| something at the first session of the Fiji
| ty-sfxth congress.
Representative Payne, of New York,
who was formerly chairman of the COM
| mittee or merchant marine and fisheries,
| and Is present chairman Of the ways and
means committee, fathered the bill in the
| house last session, and the measure pre-
scented this year was drafted by him.
| after discussing the situation thoroughly
| with American ship builders and Amer
| lean merchants. Chairman Payne will
~
| he has drafted through the lower branch
before it can be acted upon In the SEN
ate. There will be delay In the upper
branch because the currency bill will be
debated at length, but unless the for
/ eign steamship owners are more power
| full than they seem now to be friends of
| Americas merchant marine look for the
| enactment of law saving this country
millions of. dollars as certain before con-
gress takes recess next summer.
80
| Friends of Gen. Miles, commander-in-
| chief of the army, are still greatly dis
| gruntled over the course being pursued
| by his superfors In preventing him from
| fully carrying out the duties Of his office.
While the president is not personally
| blamed for the slight put upon Gen.
| Miles, he Is instrumental, to say the
| least. In carrying through certain plans Of
unsatisfactory to the commander-in- chief
| Of the army. 1t was thought that after
| Secretary Root was indicted into off1cs
| the prejudice which existed against Gen.
| Miles in the war department would be
| overcome. 1t seems, however, that the
| Influences prevailing under the Alger
| regime still continue, and that the com-
| handing general Is nothing more than q
| figurehead, while II he were given an
1,a =, no
| prove to the country that he is thorough
| ly competent to attend to the duties OF
| his high Office, and perhaps. had he been
! permitted to do so In the past, the gueril-
la warfare now going on In the Philip
| pines would have been over. At least,
Gen. Miles friends believe that such
would have been the outcome, but they
| have decided to make no further effort in
| his behalf while this administration ia in
| power.
| In the event that Maj. Mckinley is sue
| ceeded by Col. Bryan Nov. 4. In the event
| that Miles has not reached the age of re-
| tirement, he will be given the power now
| taken out of his hands to conduct the at
! fairs Of the army without the dictation
of underlings in the department like Gen.
| Corbfn and the clique associated with
| him. This Corbin clique has managed
| the affairs of the war department under
| the friends of Gen. Miles that they have
made mistakes which have cost the coun-
try millions of money, and that the lives
Of many American soldiers have been sac
rif1ced because of their encouragement
in conducting the war in Cuba, Puerto
Rico and the Philippines.
Judge Barham, Of California, who Is
one of the leading members Of the house
committee of interstate and foreign COM
MERGE, anticipates that the Hepburn MIC
aragua canal bill will pass the house, If
not the senate. before the summer hoH-
| day recess Is taken.
The measure reported from the commit
tee favorably to the house at the last sss-
sion was not entirely satisfactory to
many of the advocates of this canal, but
the one Mr.. Hepburn introduced at this
session will meet the approval of the ma
jority Of the members Of this committee.
The one vote against reporting 1t favor
ably will be cast by Representative
Fletcher, of MiEnesota. Mr.. Fletcher Is
not favorable to the canal plan, and Is
highly opposed to any plan favoring the
expenditure of money for 1t by this gov
ernment.
To put the canal project into successful
operation Judge Barham has practically
induced the majority members of the
committee, including Chairman Hepburn,
to agree with him regarding the course to
be pursued to secure the control Of the
territory needed for carrying out tho
plans OF the promoters of this great un-
dertaking. Judge Barhams idea Is that
the president Of the United States should
be authorized to secure control Of this
territory, by lease OF otherwise. and not
to expend the money necessary to pur-
chase, 1t outright. This idea of Judga
Barham's has been followed by the COM
mittee,s and, as before stated, with tho
exception of Mr.. Fletcher, the committee
will vote unanimously in favor of report
ing the bill to the house as at present
drafted
The committee, however, Will not act
hastily, believing 1t just to the oppo-
sitien to permit them to offer testimony
against the Hepburn measure. The op-
position to the pending bill is determined
but the members Of the interstate and
foreign commerce commit ee 90 not pro-
pose to give them any advanta age by not
granting them the right to offer evidence
in opposition. This testimony will be sub
nnitted under cath, and must rot be pre-
scented by argument upon the part or
those before the committee, and, there
fore the hearings will be brief, and this
will give the supporters Of the Hepburn
measure an early opportunity to get 1t
before the house.
On Jan. IL the committee has announced
to those who desire to submit evidence In
opposition to the Hepburn bill that they
will be given their first bearing. and the
opinion prevails that not more than two
weeks will be spent in taking this testf-
mony, and upon It's final submission an
immediate and favorable report will be
made to the house If this haste In gat-
ting the measure presented can be FOL
lowed. there is a possibility that the bill
will not only pass the house. but may
80 ,bro,,,b tho senate IN time for the