The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-05
AN EXTRA SESSION UNNECESSARY

The cabinet yesterday decided against
an extra session of Congress. After
! listening to the opinion of the Attorney
General as 10 the effect and scope of the
Porto Rican decisions, and care
| fully considering the situation.h was con-
! Guided that the Plat amendment gave
| the President ample authority to do all
that was necessary for this government to
do in Cuba and that the Spooner reso-
luton was sufficient to enable him TO es-
tablish civil government in the Philip
pines and to fix tariff rates for those
islands.
An extra session was not desired by the
President and his cabinet, and it IS safe
to assert that the country did not want
1t. Still, it is probable that it would have
been called if 1t had been believed that
there was an urgent necessity for it, not
withstanding the fact that members of
both the Senate and the House are scat
tered all over the world and nave made
plans for the summer that they would not
like to abandon.
The situation in Cuba seems to have
had as much attention from the cabinet
as the condition of affairs IN the Philip
pines. There is no doubt that the Presi-
dent and cabinet are determined that
the Cubans shall accept the Platt Smend-
ment without any reservations or expia-
nations attached to it. American troops
will remain on the island until that is
done. Congress authorized the President
to withdraw the troops when the amend
ment was accepted, and the Cubans are
only delaying the time when they viii be
given control of their affairs by their
evasive course. What the United States
ask in return for what they have done for
them, and for undertaking to protect
them against foreign foes, is very little,
and it looks as if they were inclined to be
ungrateful. If there were an intention to
Withhold from them the right of self
government, or to take from them am
right essential to their welfare, there
would be some reason for their course
in respect to the Plat amendment. but
as far as we can see the amendment,
While it gives certain privileges to the
United States, is mainly for their benefit.
The Supreme Court decisions in the Porto
Rican cases will not, 1t is understood.
change in the least the plans of the ad-
ministration for the government of the
Philippines. Civil government will be es-
tabished there as soon as the Taft Com
mission can arrange for it, and, until
that commission announces what the
tariff for the islands should be- duties
under the Dingley tariff will continue to
be collected
1t seems that there was some doubt
as TO the extent of the authority of the
President under the spooner resolution.
ana as TO the bearing the de-
elsions in the Porto Rican cases
mad upon the relations between
the United States and the islands.
but II seems that the cabinet is of the
opinion that the Presidents authority is
ample and that the decisions do not limit
IL In any respect. Anyway, Congress is
not to be called upon for additional legis-
lation at this time. In the fall the SUI
preme Court will decide the Philippine
case, and Congress will be In session IN
december to do whatever IT NAV deem
necessary at that time to be done