The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1901-01-05
WASHINGTON LETTER.


From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON. D. c.. Dec. 81. 1900.
Indicationsof another somersault
ON The part of the administration
are IN sight, This time it is on the
question ct an extra session sof
Congress. Up to the adjournment
for holiday recess, avoid an extra
session, If possible, was the watch
word of the administration, and
Senator Hanna used the danger OF
an extra session as a threat to scare
republicans into line, who were
talking opposition to the ship-Snb-
sidy bill. Now, it is being whisper
ed in administration circles that the
republicans would welcome an extra
session and be very glad if The
opposition would make it appear
to be forced on them against their
will Some say that this is being
done to prevent Senators Pettigrew
ALE and Butler carrying out their
threat to oppose every bill taken up
in the Senate as long as the Ship
Subsidy bill retains the right of way
There may. of course, be something
in that; but there are several Other
reasons why the administra ION
would welcome an extra session,
especially if it can escape the re-
sponsibility for seeming to have had
any hand in bringing it about. First
there is the Ship Subsidy bill. 1t may
be possible to force it through at
this session, but it looks very doubt
full now. In the next Congress, the
the republican majority will be in
creased in both House and Senate,
not to mention the retirement of
several OF this BLISS most vigorous
opponents from the Senate, and
most of the new members will be
ready to fall over themselves to do
the bidding OF the administration,
which will make its passage much
easier. Next, there is the revenue
reduction bill, The outside limit,
named by Mr.. Mckinley was $780,
100000. 1t carries a reduction of
of more than $4,000, 900, and it is
no secret that the administration
would rather see the bill hung up in
some way than passed in its present
shape, although Mr.. Mckinley will
sigu it, of course, if it passes. No
body need be surprised to see some
parliamentary skill displayed by
administration Senators. when the
bill gets before the Senate, to bam-
boozle the public. Perhaps the re-
publicans will add amendments
solely to provoke a fight on the bill
by democratic Senators. Lastly,
there is the decision OF Supreme
Court in those colonial cases. If it
be an adverse Que, Mr.. Mckinley
will be glad to have some other
excuse for calling Congress together
to remedy his bunders.
Senator Hawley hasgiven advance
notice of his intention to antagonize
the Ship Subsidy bill with the
substitute for the House Army Re-
organizatin bill, if there is any delay
on the part OF Senate in disposing of
the latter. That is another turn of
the legislative wise that is squeezing
Hanna, and in is this case Mr.. Nc
Kinley will not be on his sideS as he
is even more anxious for the army
bill to get through than he is for the
Ship Susbidy bill. One is to pay
campaign debts; the other to keep
him and his administration out of a
deep and dangerous hole. He would
like to have both, but if he can only
get one, he will take the Army bill
without moments hesitation.
After press cablegrams from Co.
penhagen made it useless to further
I DENY, officials acknowledge that the
U. S. is negotiating for the purchase
of the Danish West India Islands,
and that our minister to Denmark
had made a final offer OF something
like So, 100000 for the islands. This
offer is, OF course, subject to the rat
ihcation of the treaty providing for
the purchase by the senate, as well
as the acceptance ofDenmark. Why
there has been so much official lying
about this negotiation, which has
been going on more or less actively
for two years is one OF things which
it would be difficult to find a sensi-
bic answer for.
Although there isn't the slightest
probability of any foreign inquiry or
court martial being ordered by the
war experimentation much explo-
sive matter lying around loose--the
charges made against Col. II. 0.