Gilpin observer., 1901-02-07

moral proposition = Which VIII take
$lS0,O00,000 of the peoples money and
give it to few greedy spectators.
Further along Tho Petroleum Gazette
sounds this clear and unmistakable
warning to Republicans:
Some Of the Washington dispatches hive indi.
Gated the desire md purpose Of few Republicans
peculiarly interested in the ship subsidy bill 20
attempt to give 1t the force of party measure
md thus push It through. The Republican party
has never advocated in any platform or conven-
| tion such subsidy measure the for which
| 1t is attempted row to make it responsible and
for which II certainly would become responsible
ii the bill were permitted to pass. In fitting
preston of the sentiments of the rank and file Of
| the party thu Republican conventions and plat
| forms have spoken in favor Of stimulating the
| growth Of the American merchant marine, but
the present bill is worse than travesty to
being In accord with those sentiments. II were
better named bill to check than to promote
American chipping and foreign commerce. The
many millions of dollars it would bestow on those
neither needing nor deserving it were better locked
up or even destroyed. for then they could not be
applied, as they could be under the operation OF
this bill, to curb what might otherwise be the
hellthtu and rapid growth Of American shipping
and commerce, continuance and improvement OF
| the conditions summed up by Mckinley. In view
/ of the conditions which have been described thus
I by the president it is open question whether
the mass of the Republicans of the country favor
| the passage OF a subsidy law any condi-
tions whatsoever, much less the passage OF such
/ su5teriuse and imposition as the undtr
consideration. They need but to become inform.
cd, as they will. Of the rottcnness of this meas.
urc to place the responsibility where it belongs il
the bill becomes law. As to the Republicans
/ identified with the oil business let not the mis-
take be made at Washington Of Understanding
the number of them. Let it not be forgotten that
/ the oil regions longer limited to a little
area. but now arc included and growing in a doz-
| en- states ii those intrusted at Washington with
| the carrying out Of Republican policies so ba,ray
the trust as to permit the passage of this oDnox.
| ious bill it will bring speedy and general re-
| proaeh both upon them and upon the party and
| will cost them dearly. Through It's repr scmta.
tives at Washington it is the duty of the II. pub.
| Hcan party to defeat this bill. TIL, Republican
majority in congress is ample to co this, and ii
it is not done there be no shifting of the re.
] spoEsibty
Mark Hannu's Cunning.
Some time ago, when it was an
nounced that Senators Richard Frank.
lin Pettigrew, William Vincent Allen
and Marion Butler had formed an al
lance, offensive and defensive. to
fight the subsidy bill to the death, it
was whispered about Washington that
| Senator Hanna had threatened to have
an extra session of congress called if
his pet bill was killed by the trio
aforesaid o. by anybody else at this
session. In reply to that it was said
that no administration would dare to
call an extra session for the sole pur-
/ pose OF passing II ship subsidy bill
/ Now it is limited that in order to avoid
that unpleasant and hazardous situa-
ton and at the same time to force an
extra session of the next congress in
the spring $50 that it may be as far
ahead of the next election as possible,
in order to let people forget. Sena-
tor Hanna is now so engineering things
in the senate that some of the neces-
sary great bills will fail, and that
the extra session will be called os-
tensibly to pass them, but really to
pass his ship subsidy bill. There's
cunning for you, also strategy. The
proponents of the bill are afraid to
pass 1t at the regular long session be-
cause 1t Is too close to the next cleo
tlon. See?
Presidential Succession.
The sickness of President Mckinley
has been regarded with unfcigned and
widespread uneasiness for two rea-
sons: First, because he is most
amiable man, personally very popular,
not only with Republicans. but also
/ with Democrats. This Is the simple,
unvarnshcd truth. Second, because
his death mt this particular juncture
would leave things touching the prcsi-
dental succession in n fearful muddle
Mr.. Mckinley is not president for the
term for which he was elected accord
ing to the general idea on the 9th of
| November. to which he was really
elected by the presidential electors
on Monday, Jan. II. He doesn't begin
that term till March 4. Consequently
| Colonel Roosevelt is not vice president
! till March !. He must become vice presi-
/ dent before he could be president. and
there must be Il vacancy in the office in
order to enable him to succeed: but were
Mr. Mckinley to die prior to March 4
Colonel John Hay. secretary of state,
would become president and on March
would he filling II term of his own
whose duration Is fixed by law. So
that things would be in n tanglc suifi-
cicntly intricate to puzzle the wiscst.
1t is passing strange that congress
has never made provision for such n
contingency. | have no doubt that In
the event of Mr.. McKinlcy's death. OF
which there Is no immediate prospect,
as he is rapidly recovering that which
would happen would be this: Colonel
Hay would serve as president until
Colonel Roosevelt Is sworn In ms vice
president on March 1 and would then
resign. whcrcupon Colonel Roosevelt
would be sworn In as president. In
this way everything would be amlcn-
bly, arranged in this particular In
stance. and everybody would acquicscc
In this plan for carrying out the will
OF the people ms expressed nt the polls
last November. though nobody would
be certain that Roosevelt would have