Middletown transcript., 1901-02-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.

president Mckinley very frankly tells
. the Senators and Representatives who
call on him that if the Cubans COM
plete and forward their Constitution to
Washington within the next few weeks,
as they are expected to do, he will call an
extra session of the Fifty-seyenth Con-
gress to deal with the matter, as he most
positively declined to accept the respon-
sibility of deciding it himself. This is
regardless of whether the present session
fails to dispose of all the important pend
ing legislation. Only two weeks of the
present Congress remains and there is
lot of work to be done to dispose of the
regular appropriation bills, not to mention
the oleomargarine bill which is now be-
fore the Senate; the Ship Subsidy bill,
which the opposition has openly served
notice shall not be voted upon; the Re
venue Reduction bill, now deadlocked in
Conference, owing to the refusal of the
House conferrees to accept the Senate
amentmends, and other measures of
more or less importance. The work OF
tie present week will go far towards
showing whether an extra session will
be made necessary, aside from the Gu
an question.
~
Following precedent it has been de-
cided that President Mckinley will, as
he succeeds himself and there will be no
outgoing President to ride with him, be
accompanied by members of the Joint
Congressional Committee, in the Inaugu-
raj parade Members of that committee
| will also ride with Vice President Roose-
velt. While many unique features have
been announced by the Committee in
charge, it is doubtful whether any single
feature will attract more attention than
the battalion of Porto Rican troops
which will march in the parade.
~
Senator Elkins is trying hard to get the
Committee on Commerce to agree to the
Morgan amendment to the River and
Harbor bill, providing for the acquire
ment from Costa Rica and Nicaragua
of a right of way for the Nicaragua
Canal. The Committee has adopted
amendments providing for storage reser-
voirs in some of the arid sections. The
bill will be reported to the Senate early
this week.
~
Senator Perkins has offered an amend
ment to the sundry Civil Appropriation
bill, providing for the laying of cable to
Hawaii, and appropriating $500, 900 there
for.
~
In ordering that counter-vailiug duty
equal in amount to the export bounties
paid by those countries, be collected on
all sugars imported from Russia and Bel
gium, Secretary Gage was merely carrying
out the law as interpreted by his legal
| advisers. It is understood that an appeal
to the Courts will be taken in the case
of Russian sugar, on the ground that
Russia does not pay an export bounty.
Meanwhile Russia has got back at us by
raising the tariff on all steel and iron pro-
ducts so per cent.
~
There is rather persistent and appar-
emily wellfounded rumor around the Cap
itol that, owing to the large total of appro-
priations by the Fifty-Sixth Congress, no
bills providing for public buildings will
be allowed to go through at this session
This will naturally cause much disap
pointment especially among those inter
ested in public buildings that have been
favorably reported.
~
Surgeon General Sternberg said of the
statements made by Senators Teller and
Pettigrew, that there were ten thousand
more men in the Philippine hospitals
than could be properly taken care of
'The report is preposterous. The
number of sick has ranged from
seven to eight per cent. Ample hospital
accommodations and plenty of medical
officers have been provided for the troops
in the Philippines"
~
How our Navy stands in Europe may
be judged from the following remarks of
Captain Hovgaard, of the Royal Danish
Navy, who has just arrived in Washing
ton: "My government has sent me here
to study American Ship-building and es
pecially ship-engineering The Ameri-
can Navy is recognized on the European
Continent. as the best without any excep-
ton, the most modern, and SO far as the
engineering is concerned, it is looked
upon as a marvel of perfection. While
in this country 1 will try to make ar
rangements to have our cadets take
courses in engineering and technology
here"
~
On the recommendation of Land Com
mission Hermann, Secretary Hithcock
has made favorable report on Senator
Hansbrough's bill, providing that all |
moneys received from the sale of public
lands in the arid and semi-arid regions
shall be set aside as an arid land reclama- /