The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1901-02-07
The Shipping Bill Is Winning
Friends Among Southern
Business Men.
DEMOCRATS FAVOR SUBSIDY MEASURE.
Petitions i'm Behalf the Bill from
Many Large Commercial AssOcfa-
fIons-Grenf Change in Public SEN
fiIieHf Has Re GENTLY Been
Wrought.
Especial correspondenc..1
Washington, D. c., Fs


Prove the pivotal feature of the struggle over
the measure During the debate on
Wednesday last news reached the capitol
that the Savannah board of trade had
un animously adopted resolutions directing
its delegates to the coming Brunswick
Maritime conference to favor subsidies. ST
mutt aneously with the spread of this intelh-
gence through the capitol, 1t was noticed
as a singular coincidence that Senator Clay
of Georgia and offered amendments tic
the bill, limiting the period of the subsidy
to ten years, and combining it below
maximum of 10 knots speed, instead of Is,
it stands al present IN the amended form
of the bill. This, however, does not neces
sarily indicate a change of heart on the
part of Senator Clay, who has been hereto
fore of the strongest and most active
and uncompromising opponents of the meas
ure.
This is not the first gun from the south
by any Petitions in favor of the
bill fi,e from more than 20 large
and important southern associations, in
Guiding the New Orleans chamber of COM
merce, board of trade and produce exchange,
the Richmond chamber of commerce, the
Norfolk board of trade, the Little Rock
board of trade, the Alabama state grange,
the Tarboro board of trade, the St. Louis
merchants exchange and the Southern In
dustriai association and the Southern Cot
ton Spinners' association. In fact, nearly
every southern state has furnished
ing commercial bodies
In view of this great and growing senti-
ment in their own section, it is not surpris-
ing that the solid opposition of the south
senators has begun to weaken, it has,
very perceptiby and decidedly. At first
these tors-Mesers- Jones. Clay, Bacon
and others-declared that they would fight
the bill by every means within their power,
and a disposition to hlibuster manifest
early in the week; but the news which they
49, Ia -
appears to have altered their minds to
the ACCESSIBILITY of flibusterng. Their pres
ent disposition seems to be to deliver GER
tain number of two-hours' speeches in the
negative, and then to let the republicans
go ahead and assume the full responsibility
for the legislation. The alternative policy
invoIving f-ibustering, the failure of all
other measures, and extra session in
eonsequence-wouid be very serious
sponsibility for the democrats to shoulder,
especially if not sustained by the citizens
of the southern states.
More than this, it has been ascertained
that the shipping bill viii receive the votes
of a goodly number of democrats-at least
six and probably seven eight in the SEN
ate, and ten a dozen in the house That
the examination and discussion of the meas
have effected great change in public
sentiment already is unquestionable, and the
change is still going and spreading
As the bill passes the senate and
gets to the house it is practically
to have plain sailing. Represen tative
Grosvenor, of Ohio, says that rule will be
reported whereby two days Will be set
apart for debate upon the measure, and that
at the end of that period final vote viii
be ordered In the house the rules of pro
cadure allow of such peremptory closure of
debate-in fact, without such closure moth
ing could be accomplished in such large
and unruiy body the house-but in the
senate the liberty of deba tie is practically
I'm haDDenS s
much difficult to force to hurry a
measure through the senate than through
/ the house
The recent extra session gossip has begun
| to subside very materially The senators
and representatives generally do not "see
the point of remaining here all the spring
| to legisiate about thu Philippines, when the
president. they say, has ample power
| in the premises to do he pleases- 1t is
possible that the Spooner measure in rela-
| ton to this subject may be tackled 5 q
/ rider to some appropriation bill, and that
| congress may let it go at that for the pres
| emit As for the Cuban constitution, which
| has furnished another reason for extra
| session, many congressman ques-
| tioniDg whether this country has any right
to NEEDLE with that instrument The war
| was undertaken to free Cuba, and it was
| expressly and officially declared by this
| government that would assume fur
Their control or supervision of the island after
| its pacification- Many assert that the
| pacificatio has been accomplished, ard
| that the United States therefore, in reality
| and justice, has nothing to say or to 10 about
the Cuban constitution This idea has
been canvassed in lively manner in and
about the capitol during the last day or
| two, and it appears to be becoming popular
| The president Is rapidly regaining his
wonted health and strength, after nearly a
| months tussle with the grip Other dis
tinguished victims of the distemper also
recovering, and the epidemic seems to have
spent its force This Is fortunate for vari-
Gus reasons, but particularly In view of
the fast approaching Inauguration cere-
monies There have been inaugurations
amid Billiards and zero gales, but an in
| augurafion in the midst of grip epidemic
t would be a dismal event indeed As 1t Is,
The preparations for the next 4th of March
are almost il not quite unprecedented
scale, and if the weather is only fairly de-
cent the spectacle viii be of the most
| srilliant in the hlstery of Washington