The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-02-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WAsHINGToN, D. c., February 18th.

night sessions, at neither of which re-
publican quorum was maintained, they
abandoned the night sessions, and are
now seeking to cajole the opposition into
agreeing to set a time for voting on the
bill While it is impossible to say with
| any degree of certainty what the result of
| this change of tactics will be, Senator
Jones, who is leading the opposition, says
the bill will not be voted upon at this ses-
sion, and that if the republicans are de-
termined to pass it they must do so at an
extra session Of the next Congress.
Mr.. Mckinley is pulling for an extra
session, provided, of course, that valid
excuse can be put forward for calling one,
and the republican leaders in the Senate
| are pulling to avoid an extra session by
leaving no valid excuse for one. An
amendment has already been offered to
the army appropriation bill by Senator
Spooner giving Mr.. Mckinley authority
to establish a civil government in the
Philippines, and one is now being pre-
pared setting forth the conditions that
Cuba must comply with to get the United
States troops withdrawn
Representative Lentz, of Ohio, Presi-
dent of the Jefferson, Jackson and Lincoln
League, recently organized with head
quarters at Columbus, Ohio, was in charge
of the Congressional party which left
Washington to- day to attend the big BAN
quet to be given at Columbus by the new
league Tuesday evening. The party in
cluded Senators Pettigrew and Kenney,
ex-senator Towne, Senator elect Cam
mack, Representatives DeArmond, of
Missouri, King, of Utah, Clayton, of Ala
bama, ali of the democratic members of
the Ohio Congressional delegation, Hon.
George Fred. Williams, of Massachusetts,,
and other democrats of prominence.
Three of Mr.. McKinley's nominations
to be Brigadier- Generals-Woo God, Bell and
Grant-may be held up permanently. All
the other nominations for Generals, in
Guiding that of Miles, to be Lieutenant
General, have been favorably reported to
the Senate and will at once be confirmed,
but the Committee on Military Affairs,
after several members had expressed the
opinion that these three officers had not
seen sufficient service to entitle them to
promotion over many older and more eX-
perienced officers, decided to delay action
upon the nominations until further in
vestigation could be made of their mill
tary records. Wood was promoted over
more than five hundred officers and Bell
over more than one thousand, while Fred
Grant, although he is now serving in the
Philippines as a Brigadier-G General of
Volunteers, is regarded as practically a
civilian.
Representative Richardson, the Demo
cratic leader in the House, has received
many compliments on his victory in the
Ways and Means Committee, in securing
the adoption of IA resolution by that Com
mittee in favor of report to the House
against concurring in the Senate amend
ments to the bill reducing war taxes and
asking conference thereon, after a ma
jority of the republican members of the
Committee had decided simply to non
concur without asking confe- nee The
republicans of the Committee were divided
and Mr.. Richardson quickly took advan-
tage of the opportunity and scored dem
ocratic victory. There is republican
scheme to kill this bill.
Senator Bacon tells an amusing and in
structive story of the methods of legisla-
ton in the Mexican gress-methods
which the republicans have to an extent
already introduced in one branch of our
Congress. Speaking of his visit to the
lower House of the Mexican Congress
Senator Bacon said: II went there day
after day and never saw a member rise
and address the Chair. Bill after bill was
passed without vote in the negative and
without word of discussion. l became
very much interested in this state of af-
fairs, and not being able to speak Spanish
l inquired of a gentleman at the door who
spoke English to explain the situation to
me. Oh he replied, there is no need
for any debate. These bills are sent to us
by the President and he tells US that he
wants them passed. When he lets US
know that he is in favor of the bills, we
are all in favor of them, too
A proposition to make Cuba pay the ex-
penses incurred by this country during
the war with Spain has been put forward
by Representative Levy, of New York,
but probably with more desire to fuddle
the situation than to seriously push the
idea of trying to make Cuba pay our war
expenses
The administration received broadsiLe
from its own ranks when Representative
Brown, of Ohio, a republican, made Wig
orous attack upon the present Philippine
policy, and offered resolution declaring
that lit is the purpose of the Uni.ed States
in retaining possess on of the Philippine
islands to aid their inhabitants when they
submit to the authority of the United
States in esta blishing capable and stable
free government, and when this purpose
shall be fully accomplished the United
States, under such reservations and con-
ditions as may be wise and just, will re-
linquish sovereignty in those islands,"
Incidentally Mr.. Brown referred to the
idea held by some of breaking our pledge
given to Cuba as the "climax of greed,
and the doctrine of freebooters and
pirates
THE NEW STATE BUILDING.