The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1901-02-02
WASHINGTON LETTER,


WASHINGTON, d. Z. Jan. Is, loOl'
If an extra session of Congress has
to be called to pass the Ship Subsidy
bill, as now seems probable, the re-
pHhlieans are going To make Philip
pine legislation the excuse for the ex-
ira session After leading republi-
can senators had repeatedly said
that there was no Philippine legisla-
ton by this Congress. and Senator
Spooner had abandoned his bill,
which by the way gives the Presi-
dent about the same authority |
over n Civil Governments. IN the Phil |
ippines that he now exercises under
his authority as COMMANDMENTS
Chief of our Military forces, and an
nouneed his intention to try to get a
Congressional Committee sent to
the Philippines, II was a little sur
prising and at first confusing tor
Mr.. Mckinley to send a report from
the Philippine Commission TO Con-
gross, urging the immediate passage
oil the Spooner bill, reinforcing it
with the Endorsement of Secretary
Root and his own. Mr.. Mckinley
sessmg ssoue -rhhppiinneeoss ibil'ty OF
asked for in the short IT,. ..esIslation
this session, and only sent thefAt OF
and message to Congress to prepare
the way for an extra session Of the
next Congress, in which some of the
most active opponents of the Ship
Subsidy bill will not have seats. if
becomes necessary.
Democrats are not worrying over
the extra session question. They
can stand it if the republicans can,
and neither the fear of it, nor the de-
sire for it, will influence single DEM
oeratic vote, or lessen democratic
opposition to a single measure which
is opposed on principle,
Mr., Mckinley has tried to lessen
the republican scramble for Army
|
Commissions in the expanded regu-
lar army, by announcing that he in
tended to give those commissions to
men who had served in the Philip.
pines with the volunteers, so far as
possible to do so. The qualihca-
ton VAS doubtless added because he
knows very well that some of those
commissions will be demanded by
men whose demands he dare not
tuin down. A big republican row is
probable over the distribution OF
these places.
Senator Towne, whose successors
expected to present his credentials
during the present week, made his
farewell CHae DOW in what
t.sany of his admirers declare 70 nave
been the best speech he ever made
The speech was nominally made on
the following resolution, Offered by
him: That justice, the public well
fare, and the national honor, demand
the immediate cessation OF hostilities
in the Philippine islands, upon terms
recognizing the independence Of the
Philippine people, and conserving
and guaranteeing the interests of
the o. S." but it was not confined
to the Philippines. 1t embraced the
general political conditions and the
outlook for the immediate future, in
cidentally showing how unwise Mr..
Mckinley and his advisers have
been in most of their policies.
The Brewers put the screws on
Senator Hanna, and he in turn put
them on the Senate COMMITTEE on
Finance, and the result is that the
amended bill for the reduction of
War taxes as reported to the Senate,
keeps Hannas promise to the brew
ers in exchange for their campaign
contribution, and reduces the tax on
beer to 81 so barrel. And it is
dollars to brass buttons tina. the
House will.agree to this, although
when the bill was before the House,
an amendment fixing the tax at
those figures was voted down.
To judge from the talk of Senators,
one would not know that such a
measure as the Nicaragua Canal bill
was pending in the Senate Since
the republican caucus decided that
the bill should not be called up until
the British government acted upon
the Hay-Paunceforte treaty, many
Senator's have regarded the bill as
too dead to be talked about. There
was no probability of early action
on the part of the British govern
on the treaty when there was no ex-
cuse for protracted delay, but now
when important business connected
with the beginning of the reign OF