Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-01-04
AN EXTRA SESSION
OF CONGRESS PROPOSED TO
PASS SHIP SUBSIDY BILL.

-Transcontinental Canal Complication
The Volunteers to Be Kept in the Philip
pines If Possible-British Soldiers Afraid o
the Boers-Thc Ridiculous Mileage System.
From our regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. %, 1900.
If Senator Hanna was blutling
when he issued his edict that if the
ship subsidy bill was not passed there
would be an extra session of Congress
the bluff has been promptly called
Senator Pettigrew said on the subject
If it is necessary to put through d
job like the shipping bill to enable
Senator Hanna TO pay his campaign
debts, | think it would be well tc
have it done at an extra session OF
Congress, and thus invite attention
more directly to it. 1t will not bC
passed if / can help it. Those of us
who are most strongly opposed to il
propose to fight it in every way We
can" As to how the bill would be
fought Mr.. Pettigrew said: CAS- long
As they continue to force the shipping
bill to the front l and those who
agree with me will fight every bill that
is brought up. II the appropriation
bills are forced over into an extra sses-
sion it will be because of the efforts to
pass the shipping bill" That is
about as plain as it could be made.
The two Senators who have agreed to
help Senator Pettigrew are Butler, OF
North Carolina, and Allen, of Nebras-
ka. 1t is also probable that they will
be joined by Democratic Senators, all
of whom are strongly opposed to the
principle involved in the ship subsidy
bill. Now, it is up TO Mr.. Hanna to
say whether there shall be an extra
session. He can easily avoid one by
abandoning the ship subsidy bill.
The latest move OF the Panama Ca
nal lobby is the announcement that
England, Germany and France had
entered into an agreement to jointly
complete and control the Panama Ca.
nal, regardless of Congressional &C.
ton on the bill for the construction
of the Nicaragua Canal. Not many
Senators are spending their holiday in
Washington, but, judging from opin-
ions expressed by those who are, the
Panama crowd has unintentionally
helped the Nicaragua Canal. Said
one of the Senators: "Were the PEG.
Pile of the United States to wake up
some morning and read in cold type
the fact that England, Germany and
France had taken stock in the Pana-
ma waterway, there would be dem.
onstration akin to that aroused by the
destruction of the Maine Then, il
never before, would the construction
Of an American Canal. fortified by
American l2.inch guns. become as.
sured. We must have the Nicaragua
waterway and we will have it without
regard to the Clayton Bulwer compact
or any other" Other Senators were
quite as emphatic, and it is very evi.
dent that if England attempts to meet
the amended Hay.Pauncefote treaty
which will be in the hands OF the
English government before New Years
day, by any such scheme az this now
being talked about by the lobbyists in
Washington, she will hear few old.
fashioned ear-piercing screams that
will mean business from the American
eagle.
Once more the War Department,
announces n delay in the return o
the volunteers from the Philippines
| This time no date is set for their re-
turn. and the blame is put on the Sen.
ate for not passing the Army reorgan.
ization bill before the holiday recess
The plain truth is that the admins
tration doesn't expect to bring many
of those volunteers home at all
They cannot, of course, be kept in ser.
vice as volunteers after the first oil
next July, when their enlistment will
expire, but Secretary Root expects
that by Offering cash bonus equal tc
the amount required to bring each
volunteer home and to carry each reg.
ular to Manila. the greater portion o.
the volunteers can be induced to en-
list as regulars as soon as they are
mustered out as volunteers. 1t is be
cause OF that expectation that the vol
unteers are to be kept in the Philip
pines until their enlistment expires.
According to a son of Senator Pet
tigrew, who has recently returned
from South Africa where he served a,
a scout In the Boer army, the British
soldiers are afraid of the Beers ant
their officers have to force them Il
fight by placing batteries of Maxim
guns in their rear and threatening t.
fire il they do not advance and fight
Young Pettigrew also says that thu
stories alleging that the Beers did no
pay and properly treat Americans ant
others who volunteered to fight To-
them are absolutely without founda
ton; that the party he went and re
turned with, consisting of "a Ameri
cans, were paid $40 a week in gold fo
the whole time and that the pay in
cluded the time consumed in return
ing to the United States.
Although the substitute proposed b,
the Senate Military committe. for tn,
House Army reorganization bill is rad
ically different from the original bill
which was prepared under administra
ton orders, the administration is SC
anxious to get the number of men
which is the same as it was in tn,
original bill. provided for the regular
army that it will pocket its chagrir
and help to push the substitut,
through.
Delegate Wilcox, of Hawaii, will
draw more mileage than any othe
member of Congress has ever drawn
for the same period of time. He ha
already drawn 81 900 for mileage il
coming to attend the present session
and he will get the same amount fo
his return to Hawaii, and $4,000 fol
each session of the next Congress
making $4,000 in all. The amount o
mileage allowed Congressman is q
cents mile by the most direct ant
practicable route from his home t.
Washington and return. Hawaii il
1000 miles from Washington. IfMr