The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-02-27
In Washington.

AS the final day of Congress APP
proaches interest in its proceedings
thickens. The probability of an extra
session is watched with greater general
solicitude, as the necessity for conven-
ing the fifty-seventh Congress appears
and disappears in the evolution of
events, relating particularly to Cuba.
Respecting Cuba and its future re-
lations to the United States, the most
delicate question now requiring consid-
Grafton and settlement by the govern
ment, reports from Washington indi-
cate that President Mckinley doesn't
particularly favor the idea of having
Congress lay down conditions for the
acceptance of the constitutional con-
vention of Cuba in advance of the &C.
ton of that convention, which is now
considering supplementary declara-
ton, setting forth the relations that
shall exist between Cuba and the Unit
ed States. The Presidents plan is to
take no action on the Cuban constitu-
ton, which General Wood has been
instructed not to officially forward to
Washington until the convention has
acted upon the supplementary declara-
ton it is now considering. AS soon as
that has been made, it and the consti-
tuition will be forwarded to Washing
ton and President Mckinley will issue
call for an extra session of Congress 8
to consider them, provided, of course,
that the action of this Congress has not
made one unnecessary.
The House has everything in good
shape for the last week of the session,
but only legislative experts can untan-
gle the mixture in the Senate. For
tunately, many of the Senators are
legislative experts, and when they say
that all of the appropriation bills, with
the possible exception of the river and
harbor b ill, will get through, the lay
man must perforce take their word for
it and watch and see.
& In the Senate, the House bill, appro-
priating $5,000,000 for the st. Louis
exposition, 1908, celebrating the CEN
tennial of the Louisiana purchase, be-
fore being passed was amended to pro-
vide for the closing of the exposition
on Sunday, and to appropriate $250,00
for government exhibit at the Char.
lesion, S. c., exposition.
The converting of the Senate in ex-
ira session, March 4, is something that
is always done in inauguration years to
act upon executive nominations, and
has nothing whatever to do with the
contemplated extra session of Con
gress.
That there are a great many wide
awake Office seekers In this country is
shown again by the circumstance that
within twenty-four hours of the publ
cation of the death of Rounseville
Wildman, late United States consul at
Hong Kong, through the sinking of the
steamship Rio de Janeiro, no less than
seven applications for his place were
filed at the department of state.
Opinion differs as to whether the
Oleomargarine bill will reach vote in
the Senate. 1t is generally admitted
that if voted upon it will be passed.
The thing the Senate of the next Con-
gress should do is to adopt some rule
for closing debate on measure after
discussion has run its reasonable
course. That is to say, to preserve
and enforce the fundamental principle
of government by the majority. Sen
ator Clay says he is loaded with a
twelve hours speech which he can let
loose on any measure whose passage
the minority desire to prevent by the
usual obstructive practice of indefinite
debate, whether that measure pertains
to jumping Sampson over Schley, OF
whether it relates to definition of the
relations between the United States
and Cuba. The passage of the Cleo
margarine bill may be defeated by the
same tactics. The great reform de-
manded in Congress is the passage of 9
closure measure by the Senate.
The revenue reduction bill will not
fail. After stubbornly standing fol
their respective bills long enough to
brighten those who did not wish to see
the bill fail, the conterees began tc
talk compromise, and it is now sale
that compromise bill will be the re,
suit just what parts of the bill will
be most affected by the compromise
cannot be stated with any certainty, al
none of the agreements reached are
binding unless all sections are in
cluded; but the probabilities favor {
heavy cut in the reductions in the beef