The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-06-12
NO SPECIAL SESSION.
How the Administration Circu-
lated a Report to Deceive
the Public.

Washington, June 9.-No doubt is
entertained among pliticians in this
city that the recent talk Of an extra
session was wholly for political effect.
The suggestion that the President ever
had the slightest idea Of calling Con-
gress to meet, is secuted as too ridicu-
lous to be worthy of discussion. The
attitude of the Administration. as
first given out when the decision of
the Supreme Court was made known,
has, it is firmly believed, been the
idea of the President and his entire
cabinet from first to last, and only the
fear of giving strength to the charges
of imperialism and autocracy has
driven the President to pretend to
leave the question to his attorney
general and to decide the matter only
after solemn consideration.
It develops that President Mckinley
is showing no little timidity in this
matter. He is exceedingly sensitive to
the charge that he is trying to be an
emperor. !" Mr.. Bryan's shot went
home. say some of the Presidents
friends who have talked with him dur
ing the last forty-eight hours. The
President did not believe the people
would take Mr.. Bryan's words serious
ly or fear that the heavens are going
to fall and constitutional liberty be de-
strayed under the rule of an emperor,
but he realized that public opinion
was in a state of unrest over the deci
sions of the Supreme Court, and he did
not wish to give the slightest justifi-
cation for the fears of those who
think we have entered upon strange
paths and that our form of govern
ment is changing.
President Mckinley never likes to
accept responsibility. He always likes
to divide it, or, better still, shield
himself behind Congress, as in the
case of the Porto Rico tariff act, or, if
Congress is not available, behind
the judicial opinion of his attorney
general.
In order to convince the public that
he was not playing too strong hand
nor paying too little heed to the iudg-
ment of the court, the President,
members of his cabinet, pro-
ceded to start the gossip about a
special session of Congress to enlarge
the Executives authority. The peo
pie would think, it is argued, that if
thePresident was not sincerely doubt
full about his powers, he would not be
thinking Of asking Congress to meet
and help him cut: and if he was
anxious to be on the safe side he could |
not be the bad man some of his critics
were trying to make him appear.
That is the way the public was to
regard the matter, and possibly that
is the way the public has regarded it.
The newspapers, always willing to
print what purports to be news, ad-
vertised the plan from one end Of the |
land to the other. But from the first
bit of gossip about an extra session
to the final quietus of the subject |
there has not been one chance in a
thousand that one would be called.
The Democratic minority may be
able to take advantage of this obvious
gallery play when Congress meets, but
the chances are that the facts will be
forgotten by then or so vaguely re-
membered that reference to them
would prove unintelligible to most
people. The impression that has
been produced, however, remains.
AS matter of course, no one of
the intelligence of the President,
thinks for an instant that the Supreme
Court will uphold him in governing
the Philippines "civilly" under mill
tary rule. This is too wild an absur-
lity for anyone to accept. However,
such a conception will serve to avoid
an extra session. The understanding
in department circles is that there
will be no cessation Of effort to extend
the civil branches of the government
in the Philippines, and that the organi
zation of municipalities and the other
features of civil regime will proceed
without pause. But it will all be un
der the orders of the Secretary of
War and communicated to the proper
channels through the military COM
mander in Manila The object of this,
Of course, is to .'save the face of |
the government in court, by the plea
that the Philippines are still under
military control, and therefore not
analogous to the case Of Porto Rico.
THE CUBAN CONVENTION.