The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-02-08
EXTRA SESSION.
One Will Not be Held Because of
the Subsidy Measure.
The President is Concerned Entirely as
TO the Fate of Philippine and
Cuban Legislation.

The Washington correspondent of the
st. Paul Pioneer Press of Monday
says:
There is practically as wide diver
sity of opinions in regard to the neces-
sity for an extra session of congress as
there is on the questions ending in
the United States supr enc court
whether the Constitution follows the
flag, -
This of course, is apart from the
possibility of an extra session being
necessary in the event of the failure of
necessary appropriation bills at the
present session. There is as yet no
reason to apprehend that there will be
failure of any of the supply bills.
But the differences of opinion in re-
gard to the necessity of special ses-
sion arise in regard to the question
whether Philippine legislation is
necessary at this time or whether The
Cuban situation will demand the &C
tion of congress. In regard to the
Philippine situation, the fact is that
the Philippine commission asks that
the SpOoner resolution be passed. The
point made by the commission is that
without the authority that would be
conferred by that resolution it does
not feel disposed to assume the
authority to open up the country and
lease the lands or grant privileges.
On the other hand, the point is made
by those who think that the Spooner
resolution is unnecessary that the COM
mission now has all the authority that
would be conferred by that resolution.
In regard to the Cuban question,
the opinion is that the president has
full power to act in the matter of
withdrawing troops from Cuba with
out submitting to congress the question
whether stable form of government
has been established in the island.
So it is difficult to determine who is
in the right in respect to these differ
ent views of the same questions. Some
of the Republican leaders contend that
only congress can determine when
Cuba has established government
along such lines as to warrant the
withdrawal of the United States
troops from the island. The present
indications are that congress will be
able to pass the appropriation bills,
and that the question whether there
shall be special session will depend
upon the ideas of President Mckinley,
who alone is charged with the re-
sponsibility of calling the congress in
session. If he thinks that congress
should act upon Cuban questions which
shall arise, or if he thinks legislation
for the Philippines is necessary, he
will call special session, regardless
of whether the shipping bills are all
passed at the present session.
The Republicans in the house who
have shown most interest in the sub
sidy bill are now watching the work
of the majority in the senate closely
to determine on course of action
when the measure comes over to their
end of the capitol. No poll of the house
is possible at this stage, and it is not
known just what strength the friends
of the bill may have there. Last ses-
sion, when the question was brought
up before the committee on merchant
marine, it was developed that there
were nearly thirty members who
would oppose the Hanna Payne bill as
it stood This led to a series of con-
ferences between the subcommittee
from the senate co mmittee on COM
MERGE and the house committee on
evolved a bill which, it was believed,
would command the support of all in
terests 1t is claimed by some of the
men who forced the senate leaders to
this agreement that Senator Hanna did
not intend to pass the compromise bill,
and that he distinctly abandoned it,
and has tried to put through the So
called Frye bill, or Hanna Payne bill
The opposition finally compelled the
friends of the bill in the senate to
change their course and as evidence
of this, members of the house point to
the various liberal amendments pro-
posed by Mr.. Frye