Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-05-02

Gratis in the House Favor Anti Sugar Trust
Amendment-The President Has Yielded to
the Demand for a More Facilitating Policy
in the PhiIippines-Gsn. Smith to Be Court
Martialed.
(From Our..regular correspondent
WASHINGTON, April "a, 1902.
Never before, and | have been in
Congress seventeen years, have / seen
such utter decentralization on the Re.
publican side of the chamber as that
which followed the overthrow of the
Reed rules and the defeat of the Re-
publican leaders on last Friday" said
Il prominent Democrat yesterday.
They have not recovered from it
yet" he continued, "and there is
ground to hope that the next session
will witness an organization less ty-
rvnnical and less stultifying to the
aims and ambitions of individual men,
bers, as a result. Incidentally there
are two important lessons to be
learned from that overthrow; one, the
power of the Democratic minority
when they act in absolute harmony,
for there is no doubt that the determi-
nation of the Democrats to vote solidly
braced up the beet sugar men and so
accomplished the overthrow of the
ring; and the other, the value and
purpose Of the Crumpacker and SINH
lar resolutions. 1t was understood all
along, by the Democrats, that the
adoption OF that resolution was merely
with the purpose of providing basis
on which to trade with the Democrats
and the proposals of the Republican
leaders confirmed that understanding.
Judge Crumpacker, himself was, per-
haps, in earnest but, if he was, he was
merely made tool Of by those he has
helped to make his superiors."
The proposition of the Republican
leaders to trade their support of the
resolution of Judge Crumpacker, pro-
viding for congressional investigation
of suffrage in the Southern States, for
the assistance of the Democrats in de.
feating the beet sugar faction is likely
to prove q boomerang. The Demo-
Gratis refused to accept the trade and
now the Judge is circulating a petition
calling for q Republican caucus to
take steps to destroy the autocratic
power of the Speaker by taking from
him the privilege of naming the Com.
mittee on Rules and making the com.
mittee elective by the whole House.
Whether Mr.. Crumpacker will succeed
in accomplishing this reform at this
session or not, it is deemed probable
that it will be accomplished at the be.
ginning of the next.
To say that the action of the House
on Cuban reciprocity produced con.
sternation among the administration
Senators but half expresses the situa.
ton. After the prolonged and tedious
fight in the lower chamber the Sena-
tors found themselves in precisely the
same position as were the Republican
leaders in the House when the reel.
procity movement was begun. If the
bill was permitted to die in committee
the wishes of the President and their
own views would not be carried into
effect. If the committee on Relations
with Cuba reported the bill as passed
by the House there was every reason
to suppose that it would pass the Sem
ate and that would strike q blow al
the Sugar Trust which would seriously
deplete the Republican campaign fund
for many years. If the bill be reported
without the House amendment, pro.
vided that could be accomplished
there WAS serious question of it's pass.
ing the Senate and even il it did there
seemed little hope that it would be &C.
cepted by the House. On Tuesday
there was held Republican confer.
ence at which it was determined to
draft a straight reciprocity measure be-
fore any formal meeting of the com.
mittee was held and then rush that
through the committee if possible.
What the outcome will be no mao can
tell. although the success OF the bill
looks most doubtful ut this writing.
One Democratic Senator predicted yes
terdsy that the bill would be amended
precisely as it has been in the House
by the Democrats and the beet sugar
Senators. He would not venture u
prediction as TO the fate of the bill so
amended, but he said it would proba-
bly, mean that the session would be
prolonged far into the summer.
The harmony with which the Dem.
ocrats in the House voted for the anti
Sugar Trust amendment was q source
OF surprise and disappointment to the
Republicans but still another evidence
of the unanimity with which the Dem.
ocrats are prearing to act was set forth
by conference held one day this week
when the Democrats in the House de-
termined to appoint a committee to
decide upon a policy Of dealing with
the Philippine Islands which could be
adopted by the Democrats of both
chambers. The hearings of the Sen.
ate Committee on Philippines have
been more extended than those of the
House committee and have given the
Senators far better grasp of the stu.
alton than their colleagues at the
other end of the capitol have had, aid,
as consequence, they are prepared to
present an arraignment of the admin.
istration which will prove startling to
the country. Senator Rawlins opened
the debate for the Democrats and a..
most Immediately the Republicans,
| with one or two exceptions, vacated
the chamber, but Senator Money
moved an adjournment bringing the
absentees back and gave notice that
he was prepared to insist on the pres.
ence OF quorum throughout the de-
bate. The reply OF Senator Scott of
West Virginia, who asked if the Sena.
tor from Mississippi imagined that
one vote would be changed by Demo.
cratic argument, was answered by Mr..
Rawlins who said that he fully appre.
ciated that the Republicans were not
"open to conviction or to reason"
The conduct of American campaigns
in the Philippines, as brought out by
the persistent INQUIRY of the Demn.